Harvard Hits Social Media to Attract Record 37,000 Applicants

Bloomberg reports:

Harvard University said applications for this fall’s freshman class jumped 9 percent, to a record 37,305, after the school heightened recruiting on social media and publicized a $150 million gift mostly for financial aid.

Harvard joins six of eight Ivy League schools announcing more hopefuls this year, suggesting their admit rates may decline when decisions are announced next month. Columbia, Princeton, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania also reported records.

Colleges say they are increasing marketing efforts to reach top students, especially those from underrepresented groups. Some high school advisers wonder whether the institutions are trying to buff up their images of selectivity.

“When you can only admit 5 to 10 percent, do you really need more?” said Sue Biemeret, a college counselor at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Chicago suburb of Lincolnshire. “How many kids do we have to reject to talk about how competitive schools are? I think social media is certainly a big deal for a lot of these schools.”

Should the FTC look into this bait and switch situation? Does Harvard tell Johnny the odds of getting in before Johnny pays for that application? No word yet on this on Eric Holder.