Some say that the hardest thing about Harvard is getting in. Others might argue that isn't necessarily true. After all, classes and final exams are certainly difficult, but it is a fact that the Harvard admissions game is a complicated one, involving not only the applicant but scores of other concerned people as well.

From the perspective Admissions Office--and in the end that's the perspective that matters--the goal is to assemble what it considers to be a well-rounded and highly diverse freshman class. Admissions officer James Torre says, in fact, that only 15 to 20 percent of the class is accepted to Harvard based on academics alone. "Maybe six out of seven applicants are fully capable of doing the work." he says. "We're looking for a well rounded package."

And even if an applicant is particularlyacademically oriented, Dean of Admissions andFinancial Aids William R. Fitzsimmons '67 says,the group accepted is still a diverse one.

"Our strongest group is the all-aroundadmittees," Fitzsimmons says. "College admissionsoffices make it seem like a must that you have tobe a specialist in one field or another. That'snot true. There are, obviously, people who excelin certain areas, like academics, or music, orwhatever, but no one would get in on that alone."

Fitzsimmons says the office looks for threequalities in judging a well-rounded student:academics, extracurriculars, and personalcharacter.

"We want students who can contribute to studentlife and well-being in addition to performing wellin class," he says.

A brochure published by the Admissions Officealso states that it is interested in more thanstudents' secondary school achievements andtalents. Its text says that it seeks to attractcandidates who will contribute to the emotional and moralclimate of their undergraduate communities.

"We are keenly interested in attracting andadmitting candidates who not only give ample proofof academic prowess, but also show evidence ofsuch personal qualities as honesty, fairness,compassion, altruism, leadership, and initiativein their high school years," reads the pamphlet'stext. "We place great value in a candidate'scapacity to move beyond the limits of personalachievement to involvement in the life of thecommunity at large."

Developing such an ethical and diverse class isno easy process, however, and preparation for thenext year's applications and admissions policiesbegins months ahead of time during the summer. Thegoal is to attract as many applicants as possible,and the process involves dividing the nation andeven foreign territories into subcommittees whichare responsible for recruiting students from theirrespective regions. Though most admissionsofficers have graduated from college, some HarvardRadcliffe undergraduates help to recruitinterested minority students from around thenation.

Fitzsimmons says that in the past admissionsofficers have travelled to specific regions of thecountry to talk with guidance counselors, anxiousparents and students interested in the details ofHarvard life. And, while Fitzsimmons says theAdmissions Office does try to contact outstandingstudents and to target areas of the country that seemunderrepresented, he says that for the most part,the College tries to gain applicants from aroundthe globe.

"We concentrate all over the place,"Fitzsimmons said. "But we have tried to boost thenumber of students from the West. Ten or 15 yearsago we only had 600 or 700 applicants fromCalifornia, but now we have 2000. That's due todemographic shifts, but it's also due torecruiting."

And just as companies with products to sellhave to keep up with demographic shifts, so toodoes the Admissions Office. Fitzsimmons said theoffice has had to redirect its efforts because thenumber of 18-year-olds shifts around the countryfrom year to year. He says that overall, thenumber has been declining, but that the number hasdropped the most in New England and in theMid-Atlantic states.

He adds that by 1994, the number of college-agestudents in the nation will reach an all-time low,which may mean that it might be easier to get intocollege, but not necessarily into Harvard. For atthe same time, Fitzimmons notes, more studentsthan ever are applying to the Ivies.

"We look at the demographics and economicsyears in advance," the dean says. "Now we aretrying to recruit in the Mid-West and in theSouthwest, but that's difficult because eventhough the number of eligible 18-year-olds isstill high, the economy in the Mid-West with theauto and steel companies is bad, which makes ithard to finance an education, and in the Southwestthere are so many strong state schools, and thereseems to be a tradition of staying near the statefor college."

In fact, as part of the Admissions Office'sever-expanding recruitment efforts, Fitzsimmonssays that plans are underway to contact highschool seniors through the mail in order to piquetheir interest in the University.