Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Not Enough Room at Harvard

And yet they have enough for one-person classes, huh?

Something smells a el-stinko down at old Harvard -- as it has for centuries.


"Harvard says yes to 7% of 29,112 aspirants" by Tracy Jan, Globe Staff | March 31, 2009

At 5 p.m. today, thousands of anxious high school seniors will check their e-mail to learn whether they got the nod from Harvard University. Only 7 percent will be admitted, college officials said yesterday, the most selective year yet at one of the world's most selective universities....

The stiffer competition is not surprising, given the record 29,112 applications this year.... Members of the incoming freshman class come from diverse backgrounds. A record 10.9 percent are Latino, said Fitzsimmons; 10.8 percent are African-American; 17.6 percent are Asian-American; and 1.3 percent are Native American. Another 8.9 percent are international students.

There they go: promote the divisive agenda and segregating everyone by gender, race, age.... we are ALL AMERICANS!

About a quarter of the admitted students come from families earning less than $80,000, making them eligible for a nearly free ride at the university. Two years ago, Harvard instituted one of the most generous financial aid initiatives in the country, waiving tuition, room, and board for students whose parents earn less than $60,000 and capping tuition, room, and board at 10 percent of income for those whose families earn up to $180,000. Nearly 60 percent of the incoming class will receive aid, Fitzsimmons said.

In response to increased demand from families struggling through the recession, Harvard plans to boost its undergraduate aid program to $147 million, an 8 percent increase over last year.

"Certainly, it's a measure of the pain in the economy, not just among the families of the incoming students, but of the families that are here now," Fitzsimmons said. "This has been a very tough year for people to think about college. Parents have lost jobs and houses."

The average financial aid package is likely to total more than $40,000. The annual cost of a Harvard education, including room and board, will be $48,868 next year. Fat envelopes congratulating students on their selection will arrive by snail mail in the coming days....

Is that like SNAIL NEWS -- i.e., newspapers -- you insulting sack of shit?

It remains to be seen how many students will choose Harvard, now that Harvard has chosen them. Last year, 76 percent of admitted students decided to enroll. The university will now dispatch an army of students, faculty, and staff to encourage the chosen to commit by May 1.

Professors will personally call as many students as possible. Current Harvard students and alumni will, too. The admissions office will also host online chats to connect admitted students to current undergraduates.

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