When a case is presented to the committee, everyone has the docket in front of him; the area man presents a summary, reading from school and teacher reports, the student's essay and the interview sheet.

The essay is usally a neutral factor in a admission, written carefully and on a safe subject, often the activities the applicant has participated in or about his life in his hometown. "But in about 10 per cent of the cases it's really interesting and well done," Reardon said. "It brings to life what may not have not come out in the application itself and in about 10 per cent of the cases, it's a disaster."

The full committee will meet for about ten days, from March 20 to April 1, holding sessions which last until 10:30 p.m. Reardon described the sessions as a careful balancing of viewpoints on what would be the best class. "One thinks there aren't enough mathematicians, another thinks we don't have enough all-around kids, and another thinks musicians really get the shaft."

When the committees finished their deliberations this year. Harvard and Racliffe admitted roughly one out of every five applicants and put a few on a waiting list for consideration in May. Unlike at other schools, nearly 80 per cent of the students accepted come to Harvard, so they'll see a class that looks roughly like the one they've deliberated so long and hard over. If the College had a 30 per cent yield like most college's do, the work of the admissions committee would be more mechanical and less interesting, Reardon said. "You'd just admit any body."

Recruiting: A Network of Over 2000

The recruiting department of the admissions offices have been the focus of controversial attention this spring. Minority applications have dropped 25 per cent this year, and the administration is taking a long look at recruiting methods, in an attempt to find the reason.

Both offices are smarting from this development in minority applications, but each point to different reasons for it. Harvard works mainly through alumni and students. Admissions officials travel around the country, running up a tab of from $30 to $50,000, to add momentum to the local alumni organizations that do the actual fieldwork.

"We try to make sure the machinery is working," Jewett said, "reaching key schools, working on special projects, such as minority recruiting or visiting certain areas."

The success of this program depends on the individual people in the area, and as a result varies regionally. When one recruiter stopped working, his absence was felt. Reardon said. "When he was there we were getting some amazing kids from Washington D.C. area. When he left no one really took his place.

"I find that unless there are one, two, or three people who are really interested, they don't do too much. It takes a really intense effort on the part of someone."

The localized structure of Harvard's recruiting leads to some problems that contribute to the drop in the minority pool. According to Jewett, "they tend to be better organized in the better parts of the city than they are in the slums too life inner city." Reardon described a weak pool of Puerto Rican applicants from New York. "We ought to do better there, but I'm unable to get alumni to give it the time. Somebody's got to go visit some pretty tough schools." Another group this to the distance separating Cambridge from the Mexican-American pool. Reardon attributes this to the distance separating Cambridge from the homes of Mexican-Americans, which are mainly in California.

Up until three years ago Radcliffe did not recruting. With a tiny staff and no money for travelling, the staff stayed close to home. Radcliffe lacks the extensive network that enables Harvard to reach almost any school in the country. The purpose of their visit is to talk to students and answer questions about Radcliffe. They also like to get a feel for the kind of school the candidates attend.

Minority recruiting works throughout the some channels as the general campaign to achieve a geographic balance Certain staff members at Radcliffe whose expertise is minority recruiting will be assigned to areas designated because of the concentration of minority students there. As Wardell Robinson, minority recruiter for Radcliffe, said "I plan my trips around the country so I can talk to minority students."

Recruiters for both offices operate in the same way when visiting schools. They ask to see any students interested in coming to Harvard, and not to see only a particular group. "If the school is predominately black," according to Robinson, "I expect to see mainly black students. If they don't show up then I might ask the guidance counselor to see black students."

Neither Harvard or Radcliffe actually scouts for athletes. Harvard, but not Radcliffe, will look for musicians, scientists, or students with some other special talent. But Harvard doesn't allow its coaches to go visit athletes at their schools. As Reardon described it, they keep a tight reign on athletic recruiting efforts so that they "don't take a guy with 350 scores and get him all excited about Harvard. We want to be realistic about his coming here first."