Harvard’s early admits reconsider amid concerns of campus anti-Semitism
Harvard’s early acceptance decisions were released on Dec. 14, with many students who have rejected their respective offers choosing to do so in less than a week.
Campus Reform recently reported that Harvard’s early decision applications dropped 17% compared to last year’s total — from 9,553 in 2022 to 7,921 in 2023.
In an uncommon occurrence, more admitted students are declining Harvard early decision offers this year.
Harvard’s early acceptance decisions were released on Dec. 14, with many students rejecting their respective offers within less than a week. Harvard offers an admissions option called Restrictive Early Action, which allows students to apply by Nov. 1 without committing to attending the school if accepted.
Campus Reform recently reported that Harvard’s early decision applications dropped 17% compared to last year’s total — from 9,553 in 2022 to 7,921 in 2023.
[RELATED: Congress launches investigation into Harvard’s handling of Gay’s plagiarism problem]
Christopher Rim, who is CEO of a college consulting company called Command Education said in an interview on Fox & Friends First, “Virtually every student I’ve ever worked with who got into Harvard early pretty much stopped [looking elsewhere].”
Rim, who described himself as being in “complete shock” by the students’ decisions, continued: “This is the first time and first application season where I’ve seen a student who got into Harvard early that I’ve worked with for almost three and a half, four years now, starting in ninth grade — we’re seeing them say, ‘You know what? I want to apply to other schools because what if I graduate and this stigma and this reputation of Harvard stays the same?’ That’s their true concern.”
Rim also said in an interview with the New York Post that current events surrounding anti-Semitism on Harvard’s campus are likely contributing to high school students having second thoughts. He told the New York Post in an interview, “They’re getting the worst PR ever right now.”
Harvard alumnus and billionaire Bill Ackman has been leading the efforts to remove Harvard president Claudine Gay from her position since her recent inability to say whether calling for the genocide of Jews constitutes a violation of campus guidelines. In an open letter he posted to X for Harvard’s board of directors, Ackman said that Gay “has done more damage to the reputation of Harvard University than any individual in our nearly 500-year history.”
“In light of Harvard’s leadership position, President Gay’s mishandling of October 7th and its aftermath on campus have led to the metastasis of antisemitism to other universities and institutions around the world,” he continued.
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University, Christopher Rim, and Command Education for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
