Harvard Fetes Future Class of '87

Coming from as far as Puerto Rico, England, and Los Alamos, N.M., more than 250 high school seniors accepted under early action are being wined and dined by the Harvard community during a three-day admissions office extravaganza.

"Harvard students aren't at all like I imagined," said one high school senior from Long Island. "They all don't have 1600 SAT scores and don't study 12 hours a day."

At a reception yesterday afternoon in Eliot House, one student from Los Alamos said she came because she got a free flight from a TWA special--her father had to travel to Boston and received an extra free ticket.

She added, after visiting neurobiology and physics classes earlier in the morning. "I believe I can do the work. The place great, but I was initially nervous and scared."

Otto Eckstein, Warburg Professor of Economics, was one of many professors and tutors who attended receptions held at Eliot, Lowell and Currier Houses for the prospective freshmen.

Eckstien explained, "I teach the big freshman economics course," and proceeded to talk about his son's and daughter's experiences at Harvard.

Archie C. Epps III, dean of students, dropped into Eliot before the Hasty Pudding show and called the early action students "so interesting and so strong."

Yesterday's activities started off with a series of talks by Harvard officials. Henry Rosovsky, dean of the Faculty, John B. Fox '59, dean of the College; L. Fred Jewett '57, dean of admissions and financial aid; and Margaret McKenna, vice president for Radcliffe program planning, all addressed the sleepy-eyed prefreshmen at 8:45 a.m.

Fox discussed "seven stereotypic reasons" not ot come to Harvard, telling the students how to put the complaints in perspective.

Explaining stereotype number five, Fox said that most Harvard students are not snobs or preps and added. "Harvard is an enormously diverse place. Every major community represented in the country is represented in the College."

Reassurances

Sitting on the edge of the stage in Paine Hall, Fox added. "You'll find a lot of people that aren't like you here.

"Since Harvard is your safety school, things can't be all that bad for you," Rosovasky reassured the audience in his turn. He spoke of the breadth of academic opportunities available here and explained the logistics of the Core curriculum.

Rosovasky emphasized opportunities to meet professors, stressing that more than 85 percent of senior professors teach at least one freshman course each year.

After attending various classes, the prefreshman heard Henry C. Moses, dean of freshmen, and Seamus P. Malin '62, acting director of financial aid, discuss other assets of the College.

Moses offered a free ice cream cone to the first five students who visit him freshman week and remember five things he said yesterday.

Noting the importance of filling out financial aid forms promptly, Malin told students to approach him directly with questions about aid, since "many alumni are well meaning but semi-informed about aid."

Besides visiting classes and receptions students attended various open houses at campus organizations.

Cheryl Johnson, a high school senior from Silver Spring, Md., attended the Harvard Foundation's open house. Although she still has application pending at several colleges, including Howard University, Johnson said, "I like the people and the atmosphere and I like how big the rooms are." She added that even though she could receive a full scholarship at Howard, she wants to come to Harvard because "the education will open doors for me."

Johnson said that while an education at an all-Black college would be fine, "It still can't compete with Harvard." She added that she wouldn't lose contact with the Black community while at Harvard.

Today pre-freshmen will attend classes and special office hours which most departments are holding for them.

Austin Moore came from Cleveland with a fellow classmate, Ted Sturmin. They both delayed semester exams to visit Harvard because, Moore said, he "liked seeing how people actually live here. The guy we're staying with came in at 1:30 p.m. last night."

He added that he will probably come to Harvard because "Yale is no place to be for four years, and Princeton is nice to visit for one day.