But some families, even Orthodox Jewish families, were undaunted by the bad press.
“Getting into Harvard is still getting into Harvard,” said Rivka Scheinfeld, whose daughter Tamar, a student at Yula High School, a full-time Jewish school in Los Angeles, enrolled early. She said Tamar applied after Oct. 7 because she thought she could speak out against anti-Semitism. “I want to go. I want to stand up for what I know is right,” she said.
Many schools have been rocked in recent months by protests against the war in Gaza and allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Brown witnessed some of the campus conflict surrounding the war, including the arrest of dozens of students for trespassing after two sit-ins on campus.
But the University of Pennsylvania reported a record 65,230 cases, an increase of nearly 10 percent from the previous year, despite then-president Elizabeth McGill's criticism of legalistic testimony about anti-Semitism in a House hearing. The number of applications was recorded.
One major difference between Harvard and Penn is that McGill promptly resigned on December 9, four days after testifying. The testimony of a gay doctor who testified the same day, in addition to her complaints that she did not take a strong enough stance against anti-Semitism, further heightened accusations of plagiarism against her, and she was given until January 2nd continued to testify.
Overall, Harvard University received 54,008 undergraduate applications this admissions cycle, a decrease of about 5% compared to last year's 56,937 applications. This continues the trend that started with early applications, which were down 17% this cycle. Regular applications decreased by nearly 3% from 47,384 to 46,087.