<p>This was published last summer, but I don't remember seeing it before on CC.</p>
<p>"After investing hundreds of hours of studying, thousands of dollars in tutors and counselors, and months of meticulous preparation, many of the worlds most talented high school seniors resign their fate to the judgments of an anonymous group of graders sitting on the first floor of Byerly Hall, home to Harvard Colleges admissions office. </p>
<p>A group of around 40 admissions officers, ranging from veterans to recent college graduates, regularly decides the futures of tens of thousands of Harvard hopefuls each year. These gatekeepers decide who will gain a coveted admission slot to the College in a time-honored but secretive process. </p>
<p>During the process, every member of the admissions committee reviews each applicant at least once in a committee meeting. The evaluation begins with the regional admissions officer, who is responsible for reading and presenting the applicants under their jurisdiction and evaluating the academic, extracurricular, and personal qualities of each to create a composite score. The application is then reviewed by another officer and in two committees, but the regional officer remains the expert on the region and school from which an applicant hails. </p>
<p>With so much on the line in an admittedly subjective process, the staff Harvard hires to pick its undergraduatesand how that staff is trainedhas a major impact on the makeup of the Colleges student body. ..."
<a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513928%5B/url%5D">http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513928</a></p>