In 1933, Harvard College admitted 82 of every 100 applicants. The Class of 1937 was overwhelmingly white, male, wealthy and Northeastern.

Times have changed since then, though the numerical majority of Harvard students is not that far away from the Joe Harvard '37 profile: White and male, maybe a little less affluent, probably a lot smarter.

As the number of applicants to the College continues to rise, choosing who gets in has become a far more complicated process than a simple consideration of grades and pedigree--though both can help, even today.

This year, Harvard's admit rate was the toughest in the country at 16.3 percent, and its matriculation rate was 75.2 percent, the highest in recent years.

The Class of 1996, by most measures, continues Harvard's steady progress towards diversity by academic interest, by race and by talent.

In recent years, admissions recruiters have highlighted Harvard's increasing diversity as a major selling point to potential applicants, even over educational quality or institutional prestige.

This year's first-year class has more women (42 percent) and more Asian-Americans (20 percent) than ever before--both trends that are likely to continue as the pool of qualified applicants keeps growing.

Diversity is high on the admissions office agenda. But with so many talented applicants--some 85 percent of whom senior admissions office David L. Evans calls "qualified"--selection criteria are multiplying and becoming ever-more decisive.

A rich, multicultural campus is one goal of Harvard's lengthy, highly selective admissions process.

"The kind of education that takes place here today is much richer and exciting than when I graduated 25 years ago," says Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67.

Figuring out good reasons to choose one student over another from a sea of highly qualified candidates is another goal.

The kind of records the Office of Admissions has maintained provide an insight into its constantly evolving agenda.

Before 1936, Harvard was largely an educational bastion for the regional country club, boarding school set.

"It was a place for the white, the rich, the male and those who lived relatively near," says Fitzsimmons, a Massachusetts native.

Following Harvard's tricentennial in 1936, the University launched new efforts to raise academic standards, to begin recruiting and to establish financial aid for students who lacked money to attend. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slowly began to build up funds for scholarship assistance.