Harvard’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid has announced a new social media outreach program to help low-income applicants navigate the complex college application process. While this program, the Harvard College Connection, will not by itself take the place of connected academic advisors and alumni networks, it will help bridge the gap by offering necessary support online. While we should not incorrectly take social media as a panacea, as part of a broader approach to diversify the student application pool this initiative is certainly a step in the right direction.

Several days after the program was officially announced, Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 admitted to The Crimson that there was substantial socioeconomic disparity in the early applicant pool, a situation he expects will "continue to be the case for the foreseeable future." And now that it looks increasingly likely that race-based affirmative action programs could be ruled unconstitutional, it could become even more difficult to attract students of underrepresented races.

Despite reinstating early action, which, there is substantial evidence to believe, tends to favor higher income students, Harvard has done a good job increasing applicant diversity through its generous financial aid packages and its holistic admissions process. Now, by increasing its presence on social media platforms, the Harvard College Connection will present yet another way to attract a more diverse group of candidates. But the College can go even farther by reaching out directly and more proactively to qualified students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Students from wealthier backgrounds on average attend better schools, have superior college counselors, can afford expensive tutors, and have family connections to elite colleges. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, on the other hand, often have little knowledge about the college application process, get lost in the complex labyrinth of interconnected websites, and struggle to pay the $89 fee for AP tests, a crucial component of the application.

These are some of the obstacles that the new initiative can begin to remove. Making Harvard more accessible through social media is not remedy enough for the deep-rooted social inequalities faced by America’s underprivileged students. But the Harvard College Connection is a worthwhile resource with the potential to target a great deal of talented students. We look forward to seeing its results.