Historical persepective on selective admission at Harvard

Parents Forum
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<p>I find this interesting. It shows Harvard admissions during a transition period, and how they tried to balance out test based and academic meritocracy from other considerations. Way back when.</p>

<p>And this was before it even went coed. </p>

<p>[Sequence</a> 11362 (Page 102): Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and reports of departments. Harvard University Library PDS](<a href=“http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/2582287?n=11362&s=4&printThumbnails=no]Sequence”>http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/2582287?n=11362&s=4&printThumbnails=no)</p>

<p>Karabel footnoted it in his book and I decided to look it up.</p>

<p>I bet they are still arguing over this stuff, just like on here.</p>

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<p>Thanks for digging up this link, bovertine. Although the numbers are now funny in a quaint sort of way, I recommend this link highly to the “high stats” group. </p>

<p>The explanation of the “bridge group” is likely to be particularly illuminating. Caveat: the discussion is heavily classist, and I imagine that Harvard admissions has repudiated that aspect–but I believe that the “bridge group” is still very much in existence, and I think that this sheds some light on admissions decisions that seem otherwise hard to understand. Additionally, this may be the original source on the “happy bottom quarter.” </p>

<p>In any event, this is quite a find, bovertine. Thanks!</p>