Early action returns to Harvard
Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany, Photo Courtesy: Hypathway
Hypathway’s Notes: 哈佛大學正式宣布將在錄取2016屆學生時重新啟動早期錄取計劃。2006年初當哈佛淘汰早期錄取計劃時，他們原打算此決定能減少學生的壓 力, 他們也希望沒有早期錄取能吸引更多的低收入家庭的學生。其實這種說法本身很難成立，因為哈佛實施的是不具約束力的早期行動，申請人可以拒絕接受入學而選擇 去別的地方。哈佛現在說，在它終止早期錄取計劃後低收入家庭的學生仍然熱衷於申請其他學校的早期錄取計劃。當年隻有兩所像樣的大學，普林斯頓和弗吉尼亞大 學，追隨哈佛2006年的決定。弗吉尼亞大學去年十一月已決定重回早期錄取計劃，我們毫不懷疑，普林斯頓也將恢複它的早期計劃，但這次肯定不會再是早期決 定了。對於普林斯頓的2016屆新生迎來的可能是早期行動。
在薩默斯辭去哈佛大學校長後不久，哈佛宣布廢除早期錄取計劃。如果這也是他參與的決策，那將是薩默斯擔任哈佛校長時又一個失敗的例子。波士頓 環球報曾報道，在金融危機時薩默斯因投入太多捐款資金到市場上使哈佛的捐贈基金損失巨大。在不久前的虎媽辯論中，薩默斯青睞哈佛的C級學生，因為他們能給 哈佛帶來巨大的捐款，這樣使得他們成為籌款活動的嘉賓；哈佛的A級學生則成為學術界的明星教授；B級學生則忙碌著培養自己的孩子將來被哈佛錄取。 現在薩默斯可能遺憾他當年在哈佛研究生院的A級學術成績， 因為這沒有給他足夠的訓練使他能管理好哈佛；他作為現政府的一位重要經濟顧問對美國的貢獻，曆史也將作出公正的評價。
Harvard formally announced that it will allow the early
action program to return for the admission of class of 2016. When
Harvard eliminated early action in 2006, they intended to reduce
the pressure for all and also tried to attract more students from
lower income families. This argument can hardly stand as early
action is a non-binding process in which the accepted applicants
can deny the admission and go elsewhere. Now in the statement,
Harvard stated that actually the underprivileged applicants still
“were choosing programs with an early-action option”.Only two
decent colleges, Princeton and
University of
Virginia,followed Harvard’s decision in 2006.
UVA decided to return early program last November, we have no doubt
that Princeton will also reinstate its early program, but this time
it’s probably not going to be early decision but early action for
Princeton’s class of 2016.
The decision to abolish Harvard's early program was
announced shortly after Larry Summers resigned as the president of
Harvard. If there was some of his involvements, this is one more
example of Larry Summers’ decisions that has been approved to be a
failure when he was Harvard’s President. Boston Globe
reported that Summers had messed up with Harvard’s endowment by
making numerous mistakes in putting too much money into the market.
During the Tiger Mom’s debate, Summers favored the C students from
Harvard as they were able to bring millions of dollars that made
them guests in the fundraising events, in addition to his comments
on A students to become professors in academia and B students being
busy to nurture their kids to be accepted in the future by Harvard.
Now Summers might regret that his studies at Harvard’s graduate
school as an A level student did not prepare him well to make a
smart decision both for Harvard and the United
States considering he was one of inner circles in the
current
administration.
Early action returns to
Harvard
By Emily Wanger, Yale Daily News, Thursday,
February 24, 2011
Harvard has decided to bring back early
action.
Applicants to Harvard’s class of 2016 will be able to apply early under a non-binding early action admissions program, the Crimson reported. The change comes after a year of reevaluating Harvard’s decision in 2006 to discontinue its early action program.
Harvard Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael Smith
said in a statement that the University noticed “that many highly
talented students, including some of the best-prepared low-income
and underrepresented minority students, were choosing programs with
an early-action option, and therefore missing out on the
opportunity to consider Harvard,” according to the
Crimson.
In the fall of 2006, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia decided to eliminate their early admissions program. This November, the University of Virginia reintroduced a new early action program.
Harvard Announces Return of Early Action
Admissions Program
By Gautam S. Kumar and Julie M. Zauzmer, CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Published: Thursday, February 24,
2011
Harvard
The announcement comes after the
University of
Virginia—which, along with
Princeton, followed Harvard in deciding to
eliminate early admissions programs in the fall of 2006—rolled out
a new early action program in November.
University President Drew G. Faust said in a statement
that the return of early action, an admissions practice which
Harvard had previously called unfair to students from disadvantaged
backgrounds, is now “consistent with our bedrock commitment to
access, affordability, and excellence.”
The program will return this fall for the class of
2016.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith
said in the same statement that offering an accelerated decision
cycle for interested applicants would increase Harvard’s potential
to attract top-caliber students. He said, “We looked carefully at
trends in Harvard admissions these past years and saw that many
highly talented students, including some of the best-prepared
low-income and underrepresented minority students, were choosing
programs with an early-action option, and therefore were missing
out on the opportunity to consider Harvard.”
Harvard has been reevaluating its decision to move to a
single admissions cycle since early this academic year. In
November, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R.
Fitzsimmons’67 said in an interview with The Crimson that he did
not expect any changes to the current program, “but we’re a dynamic
institution.”
—Staff writer Gautam S. Kumar can be reached at gkumar@college.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Julie M. Zauzmer can be reached at jzauzmer@college.harvard.edu.
Early action returns
After trial,
Harvard
Thursday, February 24, 2011, Harvard
Gazette.
Harvard
In 2007, Harvard eliminated its non binding early action
program on a trial basis and moved to a single admissions deadline,
announcing at the time that it would evaluate the impact of the
change after several years.
“We piloted the elimination of early action out of concern
that college admissions had become too complex and pressured for
all students, and out of particular concern for students at
under-resourced high schools who might not be able to access the
early admissions process,” said Harvard President Drew Faust. “Over
the past several years, however, interest in early admissions has
increased, as students and families from across the economic
spectrum seek certainty about college choices and financing. Our
goal now is to reinstitute an early-action program consistent with
our bedrock commitment to access, affordability, and
excellence.”
“We looked carefully at trends in Harvard admissions these
past years and saw that many highly talented students, including
some of the best-prepared low-income and underrepresented minority
students, were choosing programs with an early-action option,and
therefore were missing out on the opportunity to consider Harvard.
We have decided that the College and our students will be best
served by restoring an early option,” said Dean Michael D. Smith of
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Harvard’s concerns about equity and transparency will
continue to guide the structure of its admission program. It will
maintain a nonbinding approach, which maximizes freedom and
flexibility for students. As in the past, students can apply under
the single-choice, early-action program by Nov. 1 and will be
notified by Dec. 15, at which point students completing financial
aid applications will receive notice of their awards. Regular
decision will continue to operate as usual, with applications due
on Jan. 1 and notification on April 1. All students, whether
admitted under early action or regular decision, will have until
May 1 to decide whether to attend.
To ensure that the return to early action serves Harvard’s
commitment to access and diversity across many dimensions, the
change in admissions policy will be accompanied by enhancements in
the College’s recruiting program, including a new program promoting
transparency in college admissions, greater outreach,and targeted
staff visits to schools where few students apply early to college;
increased involvement of Harvard undergraduates throughout the year
in three major recruiting efforts — the Harvard Financial Aid
Initiative, the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program, and the
Undergraduate Admissions Council’s Return to High School Program;
and enhanced web features providing families with the ability to
calculate the likely net cost to them of sending a child to
Harvard, and perspectives from financial aid students on life at
Harvard.
“The commitment to including first-generation, low-income,
and historically disadvantaged minority students in the full
spectrum of admissions options is a key feature of this new
early-action option,” said Harvard College Dean Evelynn Hammonds.
“We have made significant gains in recent years in recruiting
larger numbers of these students and in supporting them for success
once here. I am very pleased that we are able to re-conceive early
action, consistent with these goals, and to work with students
based on whatever timetable best meets their
needs.”
“We continue to be concerned about the pressures on
students today, including those associated with college admission,”
said Harvard College Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William
R. Fitzsimmons. “In all of our work, we will do everything possible
to level the playing field in admissions and encourage all students
to make thoughtful choices about how they can best contribute to
society.”
Posted 星期四, 02/24/2011 - 19:32 by Fishville at
www.tongjioversea.org
Information provided by:
HYP Pathway(雅美途)
St.
Louis,
An Expert on College Admission in the United States.
E-mail: hypathway@hotmail.com; Website: 雅美途
