Applications Up Again at 'Cliffe

Radcliffe applications rose again this year to reach an all-time high of 2515, Patricia O'Connor, acting dean of Radcliffe admissions, said yesterday.

There seemed to be no new or surprising trends in the three percent increases, Miss O'Connor said. "The kind of girl who applies to Radcliffe has not changed markedly this year," she noted.

Financial aid funds for 1968 have also increased, Miss O'Connor said, partly to compensate for the National Merit Corporation's announced cut-backs in Scholarship awards. The increases will not affect the composition of next year's class, she added, although continued increased resources may make financial aid more available to middle-income applicants in the future.

Applications from daughters and sisters of alumnae have continued to rise along with the total number of applications, according to Miss O'Connor.

Last year the Financial Aid Office published a booklet on the opportunities for financial aid at Radcliffe in an experimental effort to broaden the economic and geographic base of applicants.

The booklet had no discernable effect on applications, however, Miss O'Connor said. "Although Radcliffe does make an effort to draw applicants from untapped areas, Radcliffe doesn't really need any promoting," she added.

This year, applicants have come from almost one hundred new high schools. Only five or six states have not produced candidates. Last year only South Dakota had no applicants.