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Harvard University, breaking with a major trend in college admissions, says it will eliminate its early admissions program next year, with university officials arguing that such programs put low-income and minority applicants at a distinct disadvantage in the competition to get into selective universities.
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<p>Wow! That's a HUGE story. Props to you, Ben, for being the first to post the link.</p>
<p>Wow, that's quite a decision. But won't some potential students be swayed to attend Stanford or Yale SCEA? I wonder how much Harvard might lose from this decision.</p>
<p>kudos to harvard, from a princeton man. the crimson article:</p>
<p>kudos to Harvard from an even more distant location :)</p>
<p>surely they'll have to make exception for recruited athletes, though, no? i always thought that was one of the biggest obstacles to dropping early admissions altogether.</p>
<p>maybe just likely letters/informal communications through coaches?</p>
<p>Nice. According to the publish date, it's doesn't even exist yet where I live.</p>
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<p>I understand the early application hype at elite high schools, but I'm not sure I understand how non-binding EA limits the ability of the admitted student to compare financial aid offers. Mind enlightening me, Ben?</p>
<p>I'm surprised Byerly didn't get to this first. </p>
<p>This is something I have been advocating for years now. I hope that all other schools follow suit. </p>
<p>Assuming that that does not happen, Harvard's ongoing competitiveness make take a blow, as its yield rate won't be very far above the 71% or so it currently hits on RD.</p>
<p>It's hard to believe that people really think that Harvard will be hurting for students because of this decision.</p>
<p>Wait, doesnt EA help disadvantaged because it allows them to compare financial aid between different AND allow them to show interest in the school instead of having to listen to the financial aid given to them if they are accepted ED?</p>
<p>If anything, ED hurts the disadvantaged.</p>
<p>Without any early program, the person who applys to Harvard "just for the hell of it", would be at the same level as someone who has been dying to go to Harvard...doesnt make sense.</p>
<p>EA seems to be a good balance.</p>
<p>Harvard's yield rate will drop 10% as a result of this.</p>
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Wait, doesnt EA help disadvantaged because it allows them to compare financial aid between different AND allow them to show interest in the school instead of having to listen to the financial aid given to them if they are accepted ED?
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<p>While yes, it is true and Harvard's EA is non-binding and allows students to compare packages, it is also Single Choice early action which means you can not apply to an early program (decision or action) at any other schools which may mean students who could be eligible for merit money if they applied early to other schools would have to forgo the opportunity in order to apply SCEA at Harvard.</p>
<p>Wisteria, posted on the following on the parents board from WSJ (subscription required):</p>
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Robert Durkee, vice president and secretary of Princeton, which admitted almost half of this year's freshman class through early decision, said that Princeton reviews its early-admission program annually. Harvard's decision, he said, is "obviously something we'd be taking into account as we conduct our review this fall." Princeton President Shirley Tilghman said earlier this year that if peer institutions moved to a single admissions date, she would be "very comfortable" with such a move.
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<p>I am praying that this rule goes effctive into for this year class (2011 college graduating class).</p>
<p>I was surprised by th article in the New York Times, because of as other posters mentioned, Harvard has single choice early action whose entire purpose was to encourage lower income students to apply early since it is not binding.
The article does indicate however that Harvard feels that lower income students are still confused over Harvards single choice early action policy and therefore do not apply early. This is difficult to imagine as the type of student who considers Harvard irregardless of financial situation is obviously extremely intelligent and one could not imagine they would have difficulty understanding the admission policy.
I think the reality is that Harvard has recognized that the majority of students who apply early are either legacies, recruited athletes, or the children of middle to upper class applicants who have guidance counselors who recommend that they apply early explaining to them that their is an advantage. It is this that they feel is unfair to lower income students.
The reality is that for schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton - for those that are not recruited athletes or legacies there is really no advantage to applying early than applying regular decision. The truth is that if one looks at the number accepted early and factors out the number they accept who are legacies and recruited athletes , and the number they accept early to a particular program ie. early applicants to Enginnering at Princeton for example tend to have a higher acceptance rate. it is really just a 10% acceptance rate for early admission at HYP for those not in the categories mentioned. The early pool is in fact harder because the early applicants who are not the legacies, athletes ect (legacies and atheltes tend to have lower academic records test scores) tend to be the best applciants int he country. Thus, the best students in the country compete for the remaining spaces in the early pool not given to athletes, development cases, legacies.
This is why if one is a strong candidate for early admissions at HYP and are not accepted, they still have a good chance of being accepted at a few of the top schools in the regular decision pool.
By strong candidate I dont mean students who have high test scores and high grades, class rank ect who have the typical activities, leadership, community service, because most have that. I mean students who truly stand out from the other applicants</p>
<p>I hope it goes for 2011</p>
<p>NYT says</p>
<p>Many admissions deans and high school guidance counselors greeted Harvard’s decision — which is to go into effect for applicants in the fall of 2007 — with astonishment and delight.</p>
<p>Am I reading right?</p>
<p>Harvard's single-deadline policy goes into effect next school year, for a two- or three-year trial period. So high school class of 2008 (Harvard class of 2012), and probably both of the next high school graduating classes, will have no early admissions program at Harvard.</p>
<p>I saw it is for fall 2007 - oh no</p>
<p>No it is not. Tokenadult is correct.</p>
<p>"No more November applications after this year; Harvard will wait until spring to release all decisions" (The sub-headline to The Crimson article).</p>
<p>This is really exciting news!</p>