While earning praise from many in higher education as well as newspapers' editorial pages, Harvard University's plan to eliminate its early-action program has left the students who will be actually be affected less than unanimous in their endorsement.
The new policy - which Harvard has said is intended to allow lower-income students to compare financial aid packages without being at a disadvantage to students who apply early - will go into effect for the Class of 2012 with a single application deadline on Jan. 1.
David Petersam, president of AdmissionsConsultants Inc., said that getting rid of early admissions is a good move because a lot of high school seniors frequently change their minds during the college application process.
But Peyton Katz, a high school senior at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said that because Harvard's program was not binding, the change will not prevent students from making the most informed decision.
"It's nice to know early on, especially because it was early action and not binding," she said. "The student's senior year is devoted to getting into college and it was nice to get it out of the way."
Gina Chen, a senior at Noble and Greenough School who is considering applying to Harvard this year under the former system, agreed that early admission can make the process much less stressful.
"Personally, I'm really glad that I have that option because I know that I would just prefer to be done by winter break," she said.
And though students generally like the ability to know their admissions fate early, some Harvard students are still applauding the school for making the process more fair across the board.
Harvard junior Frank Washburn said that he thinks the new policy will not only level the playing field for lower-income students but also ensure that students more suited for Harvard enroll in the school.
"A lot of students apply early to Harvard because of the Harvard name," he said. "This might force prospective students to look past the name and look for colleges that are better suited for them."
"Students need to be primarily concerned with what's best for them," Washburn added. "Harvard's decision will force them to make a better choice."
Harvard senior Jon Sherman agreed that the school's new policy will prove to be a positive one.
"I think the admissions process is too much of a game and hopefully it'll set an example and a significant number of top schools will switch to . a program that provides equal opportunity for everyone," he said. "This doesn't discriminate by income level . like the EA program would have."
Still, most are glad that they are on the other side of the process.
"Once you get in, it's always nice to have that sense of security," Harvard sophomore Sagar Mehta said.
