"It was like opening the floodgates with multiple early action. Harvard enjoys an 80% yield, but Brown was probably doing more work for less return," said Michael Denning, college counselor at Nobles and Greenough School a private school in Dedham, MA.

Harvard's Office of Admissions Director Marlyn McGrath-Lewis '73 said Brown's decisions are most likely intended to insure that applicants to Brown are certain of their interest in the university.

"Of course I can't speak for them, but I expect they expect that early decision will bring them a higher degree of certainty in their enrollments," McGrath-Lewis wrote in an e-mail.

McGrath-Lewis does not expect a chain reaction with regard to reversals in admissions policy from other colleges.

"I don't think the change will have any great significance for Ivy admissions," McGrath-Lewis wrote,

Harvard, however, has no intention of changing its early action policy.

"We are very well served by our early action program," McGrath-Lewis wrote. "Our Faculty commitee believes strongly in the education principle that it is important for students to have the benefit of othe senior year before committing finally to a college."