A Harvard-bound New Jersey teenager who successfully sued her high school because she wanted to be the sole valedictorian at graduation has been dumped by the Ivy League university, apparently for plagiarism.
Blair Hornstine, 18, was back in the limelight yesterday after a Harvard admission review board revoked her acceptance into the freshman 2007 class, The Harvard Crimson reported.
According to Harvard admission rules, a student’s acceptance can be revoked “if you engage in behavior that brings into question your honesty, maturity, or moral character.”
Questions were raised about Hornstine’s suitability when she was caught plagiarizing extensively from materials published on the Internet for a teen column she wrote for a local newspaper.
In a letter of apology, published in the paper last month, she said was not a trained journalist.
“I erroneously thought the way I submitted the articles was appropriate,” the honors graduate from Moorestown HS explained.
Harvard spokesman Robert Mitchell said in a statement: “While it has been reported that Harvard has withdrawn the admission of a student, it remains the policy of the university not to comment on the status of specific applicants.”
The Hornstine family spokesman could not be reached for comment.