Some seniors said they handed in their applications early to avoid any last-minute crises.

J. Thomas Atwood '95 submitted his endorsement application a day early.

"I didn't want to deal with the stress," he said. "A lot of people finish it the night before--they don't factor in the problems that could happen."

And Michael B. Evers '95 said he finished most of his work for the Rhodes endorsement application over the summer.

"It's a pretty straightforward application," he said. "It's not worth getting stressed about. If you don't get [the endorsement], it's not the end of the world."

Endorsement

Although students do not need an endorsement to be chosen for the Rhodes scholarship, it does add a free letter of recommendation to the eight-letter maximum that they can use in their Rhodes applications, which are due October 17.

Bohlmann said that in the past, most of the students who have eventually received Rhodes scholarships first obtained Harvard's endorsement, although some--including one recipient two years ago--did not.

The endorsement is a requirement for the Marshall scholarship, however. Usually, half of the students who apply for an endorsement, either Marshall or Rhodes, receive it, Bohlmann said.

The endorsement process is two-tiered. First, 11 advisers, one from each of the houses except the applicant's house, review each application, he said.

Each adviser rejects or accepts an application, and Bohlmann said that applications usually need two-thirds to three-fourths acceptances to receive Harvard's endorsement.

After the advisors are done, the faculty committee meets to consider the accepted applications. At this time, Bohlmann said, fellowship advisers from the houses can make a case for the inclusion of any specific nomination originally not endorsed.

OCS will post the names of the students receiving Harvard's endorsement by Monday, October 3