Dhand said the e-mails were not needed to reach those most likely to apply to the summit.

"Those who are truly interested would have probably heard about it beforehand," he said.

Marc Stad '00, president of the College Democrats, said he learned of the summit before the e-mails were sent. He said the summit gives Ivy League students a rare opportunity to gather together.

"It seems like all the Ivy League schools are separate entities," Stad said. "[The summit] is a lot of great minds coming together and talking about important issues."

Stad said he had not applied for the summit yet, but he said he plans to do so before the deadline.

Organizers said they think more students will apply before tonight's midnight deadline.

"I'm thinking that by then end of [today] we'll have more like 30 to 35," Ebbel said.

The application for the summit asks students to list leadership experiences and to write three short essays. It is available on the Internet at http://pantheon.yale.edu/~asd24/.