<p>Harvard started doing this when they got rid of early action a few years ago. They request that people try to apply early, knowing that many will still adhere to the Jan. 1 deadline. That way, they do not get a tidal wave of applications, in January, and applications will arrive in a staggered sort of way. The point of the letter is just to make things easier for the admissions folks. It may be true that the earlier ones are looked at first, but they assure everyone that there is no advantage to sending an application by December 1st in terms of admissions (your child will get an interview earlier, though).</p>