<p>@clt, xfx is right; look at the quote you posted. SAT and 2 subject test OR the ACT with writing.</p>
<p>But yeah I think the total fertility rate in the US and other developed countries have declined significantly in the last 50 years. There are a lot of baby boomers, but they probably had half the number of kids that their parents did.</p>
<p>So, venturing back to the original topic…</p>
<p>35,000 applicants? You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you guys think that these are mainly people who actually have a chance at getting into Harvard or kids who have no chance whatsoever and are applying just because it is Harvard and they want to say they applied there? I’m hoping for the latter.</p>
<p>Only Harvard knows the real answer to that^.
I speculate that half the kids are good and half just applied because it’s Harvard. I don’t think it will <em>necessarily</em> become more competitive this year, but who knows?</p>
<p>Tulane had 45,000 applicants in 2010 and 46,000 so far this year.</p>
<p>1,400 hundred freshman will be admitted to Tulane</p>
<p>^ no, that is the number that will matriculate at Tulane. Tulane will offer admission to 4-5 times that number of applicants to get enough to fill the class.</p>
<p>I think lowering the subject test requirement does have an influence, because it allows more of those people who apply just for the heck of it to add Harvard on to their lists.</p>
<p>yes, you are correct. i would suspect that even Harvard would see admitted students go to other universities.</p>
<p>Harvard DEFINITELY makes its application easy to increase its number of applications and lower its acceptance rates; that means its USNWR rankings stay high. I was shocked at how easy its supplement was. One essay? Only ONE essay, that was OPTIONAL? It’s practically an invitation for people to apply just for the heck of it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>About twenty percent do</p>
<p>
But then there are schools, mediocre schools, making it extra hard to apply, posing essay prompts that make much time to be spent by the potential applicants. Frankly, I do not see the logic behind this… making students spend more time on their apps, and perhaps discouraging pottential applicants. Harvard is smart, and these school are not – because time-consuming essay topics do not necessarily lead the acceptees to matriculate at their schools more than at other (better ranked) schools but it just makes it difficult and more time consuming to apply. Dumb idea by the (mediocre) schools. They should try some other way, less time-demanding way, to ‘detect’ students that ‘fit’ their school.</p>
<p>@jgraider - Most of those are probably going to another Ivy, Stanford, MIT, etc though. ;D</p>
<p>^completely agree.</p>
<p>^^I don’t see your point.</p>
<p>^^^Mine is right here. See? —> .</p>
<p>^lol nice one.</p>
<p>I bet a fair number of the students Harvard loses to LACs, too. Just speculation though.</p>
<p>
Haha, my friend only applied cuz her grandmother basically made her. Eh…</p>
<p>I think I read somewhere that Fitzsimmons said about 80% of applicants are qualified, or “Harvard material.”</p>
<p>they all attempt to determine who will be admitted and enroll and who will be admitted and go to another university. the 20% just fooled them.</p>