Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.

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Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
They had their chance
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They had their chance

Today, tens of thousands of kids will have their hopes dashed. Let's show them why it won't matter. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

Bill Murphy Jr.'s avatar
Bill Murphy Jr.
Apr 06, 2021
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Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
Understandably by Bill Murphy Jr.
They had their chance
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Across the country and around the world, tens of thousands of young people will be steeling themselves this evening for big news.

That’s because today is Ivy Day, when the Ivy League and other top colleges reveal which applicants will be offered seats in the class of 2025.

It’s always stress-inducing, but 2021 is likely to be the toughest year ever, because of simple supply and demand.

First, the pandemic spurred a significant number of students who were admitted for the class of 2024 to defer for a year. Then, applications soared. As an example, Harvard had 40,248 applicants last year for about 1,600 spots. But this year, “more than 57,000“ applied.

That’s a 42 percent increase, and by far the largest number of applicants ever. It’s also a 300 percent increase from 2000, when fewer than 19,000 students applied.

Personally, I think prestigious universities (which get massive government funding) have a moral obligation to expand their size, given how many more applicants there are, and …

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