UNFORTUNATE DISCRIMINATION

To the Freshman, just finding himself in his field of concentration, the catalogue of courses seems a very unjust and unfair medium of class discrimination. With its multitude of catch clauses and baffling requirements, it hinders all but Juniors, Seniors, and exceptional scholars from studying under what are considered the really important professors.

Particularly at this time such apparently unreasonable preference rankles in the Freshman mind, bringing forth a wall of protest from those who do not understand both sides of the case. There are in the University a certain number of teachers whose names are famous all over the country. Their courses are invariably widely advertised and over-supplied with students. It is only natural that they should be. It is undesirable, however, to build bigger class rooms and larger auditoriums. Courses must be limited and, when they are, it is the Senior, not the Freshman, who must be given precedence.

There are also some courses, as for example English 72, where a degree of mental enthusiasm rather above first year standards is required to keep pace with the abundance of materials. The presence of an average Freshman or Sophomore does just so much to retard the progress of his scholastic superiors.

The final reason for this singular distribution of intellectual opportunities lies in the professors themselves. It is their natural desire to teach the advanced, the enthusiastic, and the mentally alert. Unfortunately the average student does not usually acquire so serious an interest until after his Sophomore year.

Undeniable as these statements may be, year after year the younger students are cast adrift in their fields of concentration without the inspiration of great minds to draw them on. This year it is worse than usual, for the catalogue restrictions have kept pace with the addition of new courses. The situation is extremely unfortunate.

It is foolish to suggest that a remedy can be affected by increasing the faculty or making a greater number of successful elementary courses for Freshman and Sophomores. It is too difficult a problem to be solved by hasty student opinion. But it is important that those who are drifting hopelessly and wearily through their first two years of concentration, should realize why that is. They must have the patience to continue in their chosen fields of interest and win through to the classrooms of Harvard's great teachers.