<p>A point I didn't make in my first post that occurred to me later -- Why is Harvard talking about how poorer kids need to compare financial packages, when Harvard gives them a free ride? How can it get any better than that?</p>
<p>Anyway, there is another article I read on this subject straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. </p>
<p>I find it interesting in that another motive works its way in there:</p>
<p>President Bok: "Others who apply early and gain admission to the college of their choice have less reason to work hard at their studies during their final year of high school."</p>
<p>Dean Knowles: "These programs distort the high school experience by forcing both students and colleges to commit prematurely, based only upon the record at the end of the student's junior year. Moreover, students who are admitted early receive what often appears to be a 'free pass' for their second semester, sadly encouraging them to disengage from their academic experience."</p>
<p>So a problem was kids getting admitted and then coasting, it would seem. This seems a more likely problem to me than the confused, but otherwise brilliant, poor students. But then, maybe Harvard needs to vet its students better or start saying that admission is contingent upon maintaining one's grades.</p>
<p>As far as not knowing that one needs to research -- kids that are planning on applying to Harvard but aren't getting any guidance will have to have started sometime before senior year, figuring out what classes to take, seeing to their ECs, perhaps self-studying AP subjects that their high schools don't offer. They will look on the internet at the Harvard web site and that of other schools and will check out books on college admissions. They will get copies of the application early so they can work on essays. The nature of the EA process is right there. </p>
<p>BTW does anyone happen to have a copy of any flyer sent out by Harvard in the last year or two, one of those things that flood the mailbox of any student doing well on the PSAT. Does it mention EA and how it works? And if not, why couldn't it?</p>
<p>I don't understand the point made in the article about how eliminating EA would ease the anxiety of the admission process. It seems that the most anxious kids are those waiting for RD. The best way to eliminate the anxiety is to have one or more acceptances in hand early.</p>
<p>I do see some anxiety when one has to pick one ED or SCEA school. But with unrestricted EA, this would seem a positive thing -- just like applying to a rolling admissions school early so one knows one is sure to go somewhere. So why didn't Harvard just go to regular EA if this is the concern?</p>