Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 83

From the Harvard Crimson: Harvard has warned alumni interviewers not to include any information about an applicant’s race, ethnicity, or national origin in their written evaluations this admissions cycle — or risk seeing their evaluations thrown out.

The changes have been shared with alumni interviewers in a series of training sessions conducted this fall. They are also cemented in a new line in the alumni interviewer handbook: “Since race, ethnicity, and national origin may not be considered, interviewers should not reference them in the interview report.”

In a recording of one training session for interviewers obtained by The Crimson, interviewers were instructed by admissions office administrators not to report the languages applicants say they speak. They were told not to mention the religions applicants say they practice, the racial or ethnic organizations they are part of, or the countries their families come from. Interviewers should instead use vague language, referring to “affinity groups” and “faith events,” to describe applicants’ backgrounds, beliefs, and activities. Otherwise, their interview reports will be discarded, they were told...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/10/27/admissions-alumni-interviews-race/.