Female Applications Climb; Minority Total May Drop

Preliminary analyses of applications to the Class of 1980 indicate that the ratio of female to male applicants has climbed under equal access admissions, but that minority applications may fall short of last year's total.

L. Fred Jewett '57, dean of admissions and financial aid, said yesterday that the ratio of female to male applicants has run steadily at 1 to 2 this fall--as compared with a 1 to 2.3 ratio last year--and that the women's applications "look statistically very strong."

Although admissions officials have not compiled minority application statistics in the hope that more applications may come in, Jewett said that a minority recruitment drive this fall has not increased minority applications.

"I'm not sanguine about the minority applications--at this point we're only hoping that they don't go down from last year, but we still expect more to come in," Jewett said.

Good Board Scores

"We've generally given extensions on the January 1 deadline to minority students, and we've contacted those minority students who sent us good board scores but failed to apply," he said.

Admissions officials--reacting to a 25 per cent decline in minority applications to Harvard over the past five years--this fall initiated a minority recruitment drive concentrating on ten urban areas.

Not a Failure

Jewett said he would not call the program a failure, despite the lack of increase in applicant numbers.

Female applications have already jumped by about 200 over last year's final tally, and a small number may arrive late, Mary Anne Schwalbe '55, director of admissions, said yesterday.

"We're not yet sure about any trends in geographic distribution or private versus public schools, but so far our readings indicate the women's records are at least as excellent as last year's," Schwalbe said.

Admission officials expect 100 to 200 more applications to come in before February 23, when they end the preliminary application review, Jewett said. He estimated the admissions office would receive about 11,200 applications in all.

The only early signs of regional recruitment problems have come from the Midwest, where prospective students have proved wary of Harvard's cost, Jewett said.