Members of the Crimson Key Society once proudly proclaimed that getting into their organization was as difficult as getting into Harvard.

But that changed last week, when applications declined by about 30 percent, according to Crimson Key President Matthew M. Segneri ’04.

The low numbers motivated the society to extend its application deadline from Wednesday to Friday in order to attract more applicants, according to an e-mail sent to members by Allison B. Holcombe ’04, the group’s comp director.

Segneri wrote in the e-mail that the decline had been expected in light of “the Admissions Office situation.”

Last summer, the Office of Admissions assumed full control over prospective student tours, displacing the Key as the exclusive provider of admission tours.

“Largely, Crimson Key was recognized specifically for its Admissions tours,” Segneri said.

Alexandra M. Tan ’06 had planned to apply, but changed her mind when she found out that giving tours to prospective students would no longer be the biggest responsibility of the job.

“That was my only reason for applying,” she said.

Tan says she is instead going to try out for the Undergraduate Admissions Council, which is the Admissions Office’s new organization in charge of giving tours of the College.

Others who did apply said that they were bothered by the decrease in tours.

“Its definitely fun to give tours,” said Dane J. Skillrud ’06. “Even when I’m just walking through the Yard, I love it when people ask me where something is. I often take them around, tell them stuff I’ve learned about the University, if I have time.”

But Crimson Key is actively working to make sure that Skillrud and others who applied will be able to satisfy their desire to show Harvard off.

“We recognized the need to grow as an organization and pursue new avenues of service for the University,” wrote Segneri. He said that Crimson Key is now giving tours for the Alumni Office as well as tours tailored for prospective student-athletes through the Athletics Office.

In the meantime, Crimson Key members will concentrate the bulk of their energy on events such as Freshman Week, Arts First and Commencement, Segneri said.

And despite the changes, the group has retained its social reputation.