Today’s Philadelpia Inquirer has a think piece on why almost no colleges so far have followed Harvard University’s lead last September in dropping its early-admission option. Princeton quickly matched Harvard’s move, and the University of Virginia followed. The issue was a key topic of discussion at last fall’s meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
But just this month Yale announced it was keeping early admission, even though its president had previously assailed the practice. And many other top colleges have also refused to change their policies. Why? Among other reasons, they say early admission helps make clear which applicants are really interesting in enrolling — a situation that prevents both students and colleges from wasting their time. The colleges have also said early admission is not unfair to financially needy students — a problem often cited by critics of the policy.
