This fall, the admissions office also received 6,042 early applicants--another record number. Harvard accepted 1,137 applicants, turned down 220 and deferred the rest for the regular admissions cycle.
As a result, admissions officers have 17,330 applications remaining from which to extend offers for the 1,000 or so places left in the Class of 2004.
But Fitzsimmons said that the hard work is worthwhile in ensuring that the best applicants end up at Harvard in the fall.
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"If you come by Byerly Hall at night, you'll see the lights on late," Fitzsimmons said. "We're vying with the students to see who can keep later hours."