Reaching High: Sixth Grader Meets Admissions Committee

Harvard admissions have always been competitive, as the College consistently ranks among the leading institutions in the United States in selectivity among its applicants.

But in 1946, that record did not daunt 11-year-old Thomas Van Auken.

Fifty years ago, Van Auken, a sixth grader from Alpine, Texas, flew to Harvard to speak with the admissions committee about the possibility of applying to the College, according to the July 5, 1946 issue of The Crimson.

The sixth grader, attempting to become the youngest applicant for admission since Cotton Mather, was disappointed to learn he could not apply until his senior year of high school.

When asked what his academic qualifications were, Van Auken innocently replied, "I won the State Reading Certificate two years in a row and the award for not being absent for five years."

As an afterthought, he added, "You can quote me on that."

Following his meeting with the dean of admissions, Van Auken toured Harvard with a family friend, Russell B. Howe of Boston.

When asked why Van Auken wished to attend Harvard, Howe replied, "I figure a man at Harvard has as good a chance as anybody."