<p>this is terrifyingly…dull</p>
<p>Very dull and weak. I cannot help it, but asking for several applications through emails and taking advantage of the economy in doing so is not world class. It is marketing, and education is NOT a business.
I could do this for hours. Harvard asked for all these applications, so enough of that. If they want the math of admissions rates to play in their favor. It will happen, so what. They manipulated it to, and that is weak and so not educational of them.</p>
<p>bluewhitebulldog,
First, how is encouraging people to apply “taking advantage of the economy”? And second, I have to disagree with your assertion that Harvard marketing themselves to a wider group of applicants is “weak” and “not educational.” What they’re doing is getting the word out to as many people as they possibly can, the intent of which is two-fold:</p>
<p>1) It gets students who might believe they could never get into Harvard or could never afford it to consider their options and take a shot, potentially leading them to a wonderful opportunity.</p>
<p>2) It gives the admissions committee an even more diverse pool (in terms of race, class, location, and more) from which to select the best, most well-rounded, enriching, and just plain INTERESTING class possible. </p>
<p>Is there something wrong with those two goals? I seriously doubt their sole motivation is some nefarious push to get bunches of unqualified people to apply, just for the sake of pushing down their acceptance rate. That wastes their time, and strains their resources - 29,000 applications don’t review themselves, you know.</p>
<p>I believe that they do have the time/resources to screen 29,000 applications. They review and make a decision on every application by the committee. And most importantly they knew roughly how many would apply. It is not unexpected to get 29,000. The PR thing is more obvious compared with what Yale and Stanford did. While Yale is still behind Harvard in number of applicants this year, Stanford passed Harvard and reached 30,000. You have to wait till next year to see the effect of removing SCEA at Harvard.</p>
<p>I actually agree with bluewhitebulldog. Harvard actively sought to get as many applicants as possible this year, most of whom the admissions committee KNOW they will never admit. They might have some motive other than getting a 5% acceptance rate, but im sure they have some motive for it. For example, Harvard has gone so far as to call me 3 times about application,financial aid, or whatever and I decided to applly while knowing that I have a zero percent shot at getting in. It was ALL marketing.</p>
<p>Right. My d had a viewbook sent, e-mails inviting her to apply and she was invited to Harvard/GEorgetown/STanford/Penn night at a local hotel. I remember one parent asked the very appropriate question “Why are you marketing when you don’t need to?” The answer:“There may be a diamond in the rough out there”. I’m not sure the audience believed her.</p>
<p>“There may be a diamond in the rough out there” </p>
<p>WOW. they could have at least prepared a better answer than that. So they are doing all this for one person that may or may not exist. and if that person did exist, im pretty sure they would be applying to the “best” anyway.</p>
<p>Harvard didn’t put a gun to anyone’s head. No one was forced to apply. If people have unrealistic expectations about their chances for admission at Harvard, that’s their problem. Seriously, what is wrong with a school marketing itself, even to kids with no chance that would otherwise not apply? If the complaint is “Waaah! Harvard got my hopes up!” then just look at the single-digit acceptance rate for some realistic expectations. </p>
<p>If the complaint is that “education is NOT a business,” then… welcome to earth/capitalism. Schools minimize their acceptance rates to increase their prestige - that’s what the Harvard/Ivy/(insert super-selective school here) brand is. If you merely want an excellent education, there are dozens and dozens of solid institutions that can teach you the same things. But when you apply to a “prestigious” school, face it, you ARE buying into the apparent value of its selectivity. A large degree of Harvard’s allure is in its very low acceptance rate (people want to feel special and among the elite). The purpose of Harvard’s marketing is to solidify its brand via selectivity (whatever it’s making from application fees is merely a fraction of its total budget and probably goes towards processing those 29000 applications). If you have a problem with what they’re doing, simply don’t apply.</p>
<p>I am 100% certain that the “diamond in the rough” answer is exactly what they think: Somewhere out there is little Barry Obama II who has never heard of Harvard, or who has never thought that he was good enough to apply, and if they carpetbomb the world with viewbooks and invitations maybe he’ll take a flyer and apply, and maybe they’ll be able to pick his application out of the pile and admit him.</p>
<p>I am also certain that they don’t give a darn about USNWR or beating Stanford in number of applications (except that they would probably like to prove out their questionable premise that ending EA would broaden their applicant pool).</p>
<p>I will not speak for Harvard or explain their statements, unless you are in that committee. The fact is that according to this year’s percentage growth of applications at Stanford and Yale, by the time next year, Stanford will become the most difficult university to get in, possibly followed by Yale. This we have to thank the removal of the SECA at Harvard.</p>
<p>Heh, works for me; I’d rather go to Harvard than Stanford or Yale.</p>
<p>Harvard had their big increase in applications last year.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to Stanford or Princeton, just Harvard and Yale.
You know, my safety schools.
;)</p>
<p>i applied to harvard, princeton, yale, and mit; no stanford (just wasn’t the right place for me)</p>
<p>Harvard’s increase in applications was actually the second smallest, compared to schools across the Ivy League: Princeton had a 2.3 % increase from last year and Harvard a 5.6%.</p>
<p>The real news is Brown, with a 21% increase in applications, putting it at over 25,000 which is where Harvard was at a couple of years ago.</p>
<p>Hey, they sent out all this to have a diverse student body. Why did SOMEONE make a comment that they could pick any random number of applicants and fill in their class with well qualified students. They obviously drive students into putting $ into an app that may not go well. What diamond in the dirt is out there? </p>
<p>Let us face it, when you get the email, it looks as though you are acting on it. It is irrelevant if you have LIMITED SPACES for applicants and still look for diamonds in the dirt. Ask DJIMON HONSOU, there is no diamond in the dirt. All the Africans threw them into the sea and they swam elsewhere. Diamond in the dirt!</p>
<p>Why don’t they put their incoming freshman stats against that email and say that is the catch? Why don’t they tell it as it is, this is who we accept and after this number = no more? Why not? It is called asking for more people, come on. Is it so rich that education is now being sold? Is that what this has come to? The country goes broke and then 66780000000044444444444444449888888883333333333777777777722222 apps go out?</p>
<p>I think they have a diverse pool of applicants. They said it themselves. If you go there, you will meet people of different cultures and etc. Yale can say the same thing, without emails. Stanford can say the same, and Princeton (I think). </p>
<p>Urrgh!</p>
<p>^ Deep breathe, bluewhitebulldog. Just visualize the ocean…breathe in…breathe out…</p>
<p>[Online</a> Extra: How Harvard Gets its Best and Brightest](<a href=“http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_34/b3998441.htm]Online”>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_34/b3998441.htm) </p>
<p>[Talent</a> scouts — The Harvard University Gazette](<a href=“http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/12.06/99-admissions.html]Talent”>http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/12.06/99-admissions.html)</p>
<p>hahaha guess that means quite a few rejections =/ okayyy that wasn’t nice. hmm but there is a reason though. i mean class of 2009 is the largest graduating class.ever. we run this! =D</p>