Margit Dahl, director of admissions at Yale, said that the New Haven university has had a special day-long program for early action applicants ever since Yale started its early action program. She added that Yale, like Harvard, experienced a decrease in the number of early action applicants this year, but accepted only 16 fewer than last year.

Dahl said a problem with the mailing out of applications may have contributed to the decline in early action applicants. She added, however, that her office has had a more difficult time understanding the 11-percent decline in regular applicants.

Yet, minority applicants are up 9 percent. Dahl said, adding that her office hopes more of the minorities actually accepted will attend Yale.

Brown's director of admissions, James Rogers said that his university has interestingly experienced an increase in the number of applicants. Twenty percent more students applied this year than last for early action and increased 15 percent for regular admissions.

Rogers also said that Brown is doing away with the early actionday it has held for the past three years, because his office had the feeling that "those who attend are already convinced that they will come. "He added that an early action program is like "the clergyman telling his congregation about the need for church attendance."

Rogers said that while the number of applicants has skyrocketed. Brown is still concerned about the number of minorities matriculating