Harvard accepted the student yesterday, Tuesday. And she has accepted Harvard.

Liz Tilley of Williams Admissions visits Bunker Hill Community College August 28, thanks to the kind help of Morty Schapiro and Dick Nesbitt.

Ronit, are you aware of the field called “the economics of information.” About dozen economics Nobel prizes in the last 30 years have gone to the people whose work shows (among other things) that brand names do matter. A lot. The Spence signaling model is a case in point here.

Harvard is a publicity machine.

We could help Williams and other educational institutions by even such small things as making sure that our initiatives and reports are always labeled with the appropriate college’s name. Have you ever noticed that everything at Harvard gets publicity as “the Harvard University” this or that? I’m not a fan of branding, but we live in the real world. Packaging and positioning for marketing should be thought about each time the college undertakes something.

Too bad these qualified individuals are such slaves for brand names.

I take Harvard at it’s word — that, by definition, someone on the wait list is qualified and able to attend. My issue here is whether the wait list is an appropriate decision for such students. Their lives have no room for the ambiguity. I suggested to one of my family-with-name-on-Harvard-building friends, who has been helpful here, that if Harvard can’t offer such nontraditional students a place in April, reject them then. Harvard is free to keep it’s own wait list of those rejected. If something changes, who’s going to turn down a call from Harvard? Let these students move on.

By putting her on the waitlist, Harvard by its own rules has said this student is qualified. Why the telephone calls from the registrar in August? If Harvard had rejected this student in April, I’d be silent on the whole issue.

You are right about Smith and Holyoke as providing very supportive programs for older (”reentry”) women. That also trickles down in terms of being more supportive of the younger students than many other schools are. Being an older student is always difficult at a residential-type institution — I remember a few Vietnam vets of our era who, not surprisingly, had a struggle socially at Williams (but who added enormously to the college and to experiences of those of us who were fortunate enough to know them).

What I don’t understand about Harvard is what Harvard “needs” another $1 million here and there for. The endowment is already grossly bloated and does not serve the educational community’s reputation well on many fronts. Those who want to attend Harvard and are accepted are treated as princelings; the vast majority of students who apply to colleges and the colleges themselves have monumental monetary needs but the extraordinary sums locked up in Harvard’s coffers do them no good.

Last week, someone from Harvard registrar’s office called this student to review her transcript. H. needed more info from Bunker Hill. So, the student went to the BHCC registrar and they sent along the information. “What’s up?” said the student to Harvard. No, this doesn’t mean there is an opening, said H, we are just reviewing the top candidates on the wait list. That was a week ago.

This is just as the student has happily signed on at BU. As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.

As to comment above, I agree on reasons for not going to Harvard. This situation came to my attention only after she was on the wait list,. Williams and Amherst admissions are coming to visit in a few weeks. This is great but most community college students are older than Williams seniors, so this one is a tough social fit. Smith and Mount Holyoke have funded programs for older woment. That’s where I wish this student was going.

Harvard alumni, who are smarter than I am (they went to Harvard), affirm something called the Z list. Entry fee $1 million. It seems your child must be practically perfect in every way, but if so, he/she is in. As you can see in full text of the essay David posted. Sen. Grassley agrees something is rotten in Cambridge.

Treatment of this student does make Williams look good. I know Williams will not blink in turning away alumni children. However, the stories I hear show far more considerateness — declaring game over at the interview — and no power games.

Wick perfectly describes the negotiation process I’ve just watched a Harvard alum (and major volunteer fundraiser for Harvard) successfully engage in for his son. The boy was happily going to a great liberal arts college (not Williams, though) in three weeks and really doesn’t want to start Harvard in a year from September (or ever). But the pressure from all sides (except from a few brave friends who are no longer welcome in the boy’s house) is monumental, and he’s going, after a suitably crafted gap year (bribe? the best glittering experience that Daddy could provide?).

On top of everythng else, the process is not only corrupt but corrupting.