THE ENTRANCE PROBLEM

By the establishment of the "New Plan" entrance examinations five years ago. Harvard took the lead in assisting deserving students who had not been specially prepared to enter one of the older Eastern universities; Yale followed shortly after, and, with the establishment of the new "Board of Admissions," is now planning to make further progress in this direction. There is no doubt that the comprehensive examinations have done a great deal to assist the well-prepared high school student to gain admittance, but the bugbear of "flunking in one" frightens many desirable students away to the state universities. The result, unfortunate for both school and college, has Leen, on the one hand, 'fitting schools' which send students almost entirely to the more conservative castern universities; and on the other, high schools (excepting those in the immediate neighborhood of a college town) which prepare for state universities only.

To balance the entrance requirements so nicely as to admit the worthy high school man and at the same time prevent the tutoring schools from railroading unprepared students through the examinations is a task which required the most delicate adjustment. With present methods of examination it seems doubtful whether it is even possible. If the new Board at Yale is successful in solving this perplexing problem, it will settle a question which has been check-mating the greatest educators for many years. There is little doubt, however, that the present entrance requirements at Harvard are not within the grasp of any but the most intelligent and ambitious element of middle or far-western high school students. Most people believe that a larger representation of this class is highly desirable. Harvard's entrance requirements are so rigid and rules as to "conditions" are so severe that few men undertake the examinations. Too many of those who wish to come East prefer the "backdoor method" of entrance, via some other college. In this way the present system completely defeats its own end and secures students whose intellectual ability has not been tested by Harvard standards, a disadvantage both to the college and to the individual.

If Yale can strike a happy medium she deserves great credit. The progress of the new Board will be watched with keen interest.