A place at Harvard used to be something to boast about — now students fear it’s a stigma.
Early applicants who received acceptance letters from the university last week are considering applying elsewhere, The Post has learned.
Some are citing concerns about experiencing campus antisemitism, while others worry a Harvard degree could hurt job prospects as employers pledge not to hire its graduates because of the university’s handling of anti-Israel protests.
This year, the school reported a 17% drop in early applications, representing a four-year low. And the acceptance rate creeped up to 8.7% from 7.6% last year.
One driver, according to college admissions consultant Christopher Rim, is students concerned that they may get tainted by the storm around the college’s antisemitism problem.
“I think it’s current events at play,” Rim told The Post. “They’re getting the worst PR ever right now.”
Thirty Harvard student groups sparked outrage in October by signing a letter saying Israel was “entirely responsible” for the October 7 attacks, while the university’s president Claudine Gay has faced pressure to resign after she testified to Congress about campus antisemitism and was forced to apologize afterward for her disastrous performance.
Rim, the founder and CEO of Command Education, says every single one of his clients who applied early to Harvard this year was accepted — but that not all of them are satisfied.
“Normally, once you get into Harvard, my team and I are done. We’re like, ‘Great, it’s a success, congratulations, goodbye,’” Rim said.
But one particular client’s family wasn’t celebrating. Instead of accepting their offer from Harvard, the student is scrambling to send applications to the remaining Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT and Emory.
The student, who is not Jewish, is applying elsewhere over concerns that going to Harvard might hurt employment prospects.
Rim was shocked: “I was like, ‘Why would you do Emory if you’ve already gotten into Harvard?’”
The student cited billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s tirade against Harvard over antisemitism — as well as dozens of CEOs’ commitment not to hire Harvard students who blamed Israel for Hamas’ attack.
Similarly, a boutique law firm halted on-campus recruiting at Harvard, and even Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy pledged not to hire a Harvard graduate ever again.
“This was the first time this concern has ever come up with a client,” Rim said. “They told me, ‘I just don’t like that attention on Harvard if it’s going to hurt my child’s chances of getting the right job in the future.’”
But, even though the school is losing applicants, Rim says Harvard seems to be spinning the news as a positive.
“Harvard really touted the increased acceptance rate…,” he said. “I think they want to distance themselves from their image as stuffy, elitist and selective because of all the bad press they’ve been getting.”
While Harvard hemorrhages applicants, other schools are absorbing the overflow.
This year early college applications soared by 41%, as compared with the 2019 admissions cycle.
Yale saw its lowest early acceptance rate in over 20 years. Meanwhile, Rim reports Duke, in Durham, North Carolina, and Emory, in Atlanta, Georgia, are popular with students seeking alternatives to the Ivy League.
Duke reported 1,000 more applicants than any previous early decision round, a remarkable 28% increase from last year.
“The second-tier schools are becoming even more viable options, so their acceptance rates are going to continue to drop,” Rim projected.
Several of Rim’s own clients changed up their early applications in the wake of campus antisemitism.
One who decided not to apply early to Cornell after a student made violent threats against Jewish classmates just received an admission offer from Stanford, where they applied early instead.
Another client submitted his binding early decision application to Cornell before the October 7 attacks took place. He just got a binding acceptance but has already contacted Rim to discuss transfer options for next year.
“It’s a binding contract, so the student is stuck,” Rim explained. “How was he supposed to know all of this would happen?”
But some other students are wishing they had applied to Harvard early now that the school appears to be getting less selective.
Rim says multiple clients have expressed regret that they didn’t capitalize on the 17% drop.
That’s why he anticipates Harvard’s early application numbers will probably recover — especially since Harvard offers a non-binding early action application.
“I do think there are going to be more applications [next year],” Rim suggested. “If you feel like you have a better chance, why not go for it?”
