More Average Students Seek 'Cliffe Admission

More girls with "average college board scores and average academic grades" have applied this winter for admission to Radcliffe than ever before, Margaret W. Stimpson, Dean of Admissions said yesterday.

There's a greater chance today that the non-valedictorian will be accepted, Mrs. Stimpson said. Admissions criteria have changed and although "we could fill the whole class with valedictorians," personal qualities and extra-curricular activities bear greater weight than they did 10 years ago.

The applicant's maturity and her ability to make "independent decisions about her social and academic life" are important factors in the Admission Committee's decision, Mrs. Stimpson continued. Meaningful participation in school and community activites is also considered important.

Knowing this, secondary school students with average marks are more likely to apply to Radcliffe today, Mrs. Stimpson said. As a result, and because applying to Radcliffe has become "the thing to do" for the war-baby generation, only one out of seven applicants will be admitted this year.

Applications Skyrocket

Applications shot up 15 per cent for the Class of 1963, reaching a total of 2204. Mrs. Stimpson noted that many more girls applied to Radcliffe from the West and Central states, an indication of the school's spreading renown.

There was also an increase in applications from daughters of Harvard graduates. Mrs. Stimpson suggested that Harvard fathers have probably been more eager to have their daughters attend Radcliffe since the introduction of the Harvard diploma.

The number of applicants with Radcliffe mothers has gone up as well, Mrs. Stimpson said. Although "We'll give alumnaes' daughters every break we can," she continued, the admissions office is not prepared to accept them as automatically as it did some years ago.

The other "seven sister" colleges have also reported a 15 per cent increase in applications, Mrs. Stimpson said.