Fletcher experiences large jump in applications

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy experienced a marked increase in applications in the admissions season following Sept. 11. The school received a record 1,800 applications for admission this fall, an estimated 50 percent increase from previous years.

For the last five years, the average number of applications has been in the 1,200 range, according to Laurie Hurley, Fletcher's Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. The events of Sept. 11 "certainly had an effect, but it's hard to gauge the exact impact they had on admissions," Hurley said.

"There have been many other events this year that have affected grad school applications," she said. Slowing economies, like the one the US has recently experienced, traditionally prompt students to apply to graduate school instead of look for work.

Though a number of factors may have contributed to Fletcher's rise in applications, it is clear that Sept. 11 caused an increase in the number of students across the country who are studying international affairs. "Perhaps there were people who were, in the back of their minds, interested in international affairs, and Sept. 11 may have reminded them," Hurley said.

Applicants often mentioned Sept. 11 in their admissions essays, she added.

Kenkichi Morishima, a first-year student at Fletcher originally from Japan, said Sept. 11 affected his decision to study at Fletcher. After the terrorist attacks, Morishima "saw the patriotic movement, and I was surprised to see the entire US going towards one mainstream opinion."

Morishima became interested in studying in America because he saw that there "not much diversity of opinion" in the US.

"But then I had American friends in Japan who did not hold that [patriotic] opinion," he said, "and I saw that the mass media did not reflect every side of the issue. The US has a lot of resources, and it is the best place to learn."

The students who applied for admission to Fletcher to begin studying this fall were of a similar caliber and ethnic makeup to applicants of previous years.

This past year, according to Fletcher's website, 45 percent of applicants were international students representing 47 countries, 47 percent were women, and 17 percent of the United States citizens were students of color. In total, 28 percent of the applicants were offered admission, and 190 students enrolled.

The composition of Fletcher's entering class has changed only slightly from the entering class of 2001. The number of non-American students, students of color, and females decreased slightly. The 2002 entering class has representatives from 45 countries.

There has not been a surge in the applications of particular groups, just "more of everyone applying," Hurley said.

The increase in applications may also be attributed to Fletcher's new policy of offering early notification. Under the early notification program, potential students apply for admission in November and find out if they are admitted by January. Students applying according to the regular timetable do not receive their admissions decision until April.

Unlike many undergraduate programs of early application, Fletcher's system is non-binding. Hurley said that the early notification program was especially helpful to international students, as it "gives them more time for planning their finances, the logistics of moving, etc." Thus far, there has been little indication that certain fields are increasing in popularity because of Sept. 11. "It will be interesting to see in two years what people have decided to study," Hurley said.

Currently, the most popular fields of study are international business relations, international negotiation and conflict resolution, international security studies, and development economics. Fletcher has not added any courses specifically in response to Sept. 11, according to Nora Moser, the school's Registrar and Manager of Student Academic Programs.

"It's more subtle than adding new courses," she said. Fletcher's response to Sept. 11 "is more ingrained within the curriculum."

Moser pointed to the example of Robert Pfaltzgraff's course, previously titled "Proliferation and Counterproliferation," which has been changed to "Counterproliferation and Homeland Security."

Graduate schools with programs in foreign affairs have not been the only ones to experience surges in the number of applications.

The Boston Globe<$> reported that nationally, there was a 17.4 percent rise in applications to law schools last year. "The story is the same in business schools, 84 percent of which had an increase in applications nationwide this year," the Globe <$>said. Additionally, the Peace Corps, Teach for America, and other service organizations have fielded higher number of applications due to the sluggish job market and post-Sept. 11 altruism.

"The Peace Corps is benefiting from all of these things," Barbara Daly, a spokeswoman for the organization, told the Globe<$>. "People want to give, and they see this as a way to serve their country."