Radcliffe College's announcement that it plans to merge with Harvard made waves among former undergraduates last week--but among incoming students, it caused barely a ripple.

Most prospective students and parents interviewed this weekend said they do not understand Radcliffe's relationship with Harvard or the role Radcliffe has played in students' lives.

"It was very ambiguous," said high school senior Emily Ludmir. "I didn't get it--I thought it was all meshed together...It was just longer names on the envelope."

Saturday's Presidents' Welcome in the Science Center did little to clear up that confusion. Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson discussed Tuesday's merger but offered the overflow crowd few specifics about the institute Radcliffe will become--mainly because many details, including the future ofundergraduate programs, have not yet beendetermined.

Wilson said that women need not be concernedabout the merger: "In terms of opportunity,there's no less--indeed there's multiplying ofopportunity."

Wilson said prospective students should chooseHarvard because they will have voice in shapingthe new Radcliffe.

Despite the shortage of details, many pre-froshand parents expressed hope that the status offemale undergraduates at Harvard would now becrystal clear.

When his daughter Heather, a prospectivestudent, originally realized that women arecurrently affiliated with Radcliffe, Kenneth S.Crossner said she was "really disturbed,"grumbling to her parents, "Your mean I won't get aHarvard diploma?"

"She came here because of Harvard," Crossnersaid.

While the admissions office routinely touts the"dual citizenship" of women at Harvard andRadcliffe, most pre-frosh said that "value-added"status had little impact on their applications.

"Radcliffe didn't play a major part in mydecision to apply," Derisa J. Grant said.

Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis'70-'73 confirmed that "dual citizenships" is ofnegligible help in recruiting female applicants.

"There's no evidence that it's been a positivething," Lewis said. "We have not found thatparticular aspect of the relationship a plus."

Lewis said the admissions office had toldpre-frosh "only what the statement itself said,that Radcliffe has declared an intention to mergewith Harvard."

But she added that few students had questionsabout the deal.

"Not surprisingly, we have been asked verylittle by prospective students," she said. "Thereare quite a lot of details, but I don't thinkanyone who hasn't spent time as a student alreadyhas any understanding of that."

Nevertheless, a few prospective students andparents said they were sad to see Radcliffe go.

"I kind of would like 'Radcliffe' on mydiploma. I don't really understand why it won't bethere," said prospective student Tania R. James.

Vikas M. Varkud said his daughter had beenlooking forward to attending both Harvard andRadcliffe. He said she took special pains toexplain the difference between the twoinstitutions to her grandfather.

"She did have identity with Radcliffe," Varkudsaid.

In particular, parents said they hoped themerger would not quash special programs for women.

"Sometimes girls are not as confident and are alittle more shy," said parent Reena Racki.

Rosalind M. Vaz, whose daughter visited campusthis weekend, said she would write letter ofprotest if programs disappeared.

"My personal feeling is that I hope this won'tstifle the process of women mentoring women," Vazsaid.--Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to thereporting of this story.