GREENOUGH SEES COLLEGE ADVANCE

With 47 percent of the undergraduates in Harvard College candidates for the degree with distinction last June, Dean C. N. Greenough in his annual report to the President noted a further trend upward. The proportion of candidates had been watched for the three preceding college years and found to be steadily rising, but the figures for the past term topped all previous records.

The Dean added, however, "We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that an increase in the number of candidates for distinction necessarily means distinguished work on the part of all these men. Undoubtedly it does in the case of most of the Seniors, since practically all in fields having General Examinations are doing special advanced work under the direction of their tutors, and those in the Sciences and in Mathematics are usually taking more advanced work in their fields than the ordinary concentrators. In the Junior Class, candidacy for distinction also frequently indicates special work, but in the Sophomore year the fact that a man is registered as a candidate for distinction is merely an indication that he is laying out his programme in such a way as later to be able to do the advanced work in his field that is required for the degree with distinction. The high percentage of candidates for distinction, however, does show an increasing interest on the part of undergraduates in going intensively into special fields of study and a desire to be included among those who are looked upon as aiming higher than at the minimum requirement.

"We must take care, however, in encouraging our undergraduates to seek honors at graduation that the more intensive work in the field of concentration is not done at the cost of narrowing the college course. It is quite possible that, by the enthusiasm of a tutor for his own field, a student may be led into specialization before he has gained the background that work in fields entirely unrelated should give. This specialization may take two forms: emphasis upon the the courses and tutorial work in one field to the neglect of courses outside this field taken either for distribution or as free electives, or too great concentration in one field in the student's choice of his free electives. The best safeguard against this danger lies in having as tutors men who are of sufficiently broad views and interests to prevent undue specialization: but action by the Faculty last year preventing a man below Group IV of the Rank List from becoming, except in an unusual case, a candidate for distinction was a step towards this end. This rule which did not come into effect until this fall, serves to emphasize in the mind of students and of tutors the fact that a man who cannot do work of better than a C grade in his general run of courses is not encouraged to specialize his attentions in some one field."

The class of 1929 was found to have made a slightly poorer record than the previous Freshman class, having 1.6 percent fewer men on the Dean's List, 1.8 percent more men with unsatisfactory records, and approximately the same number whose connection had to be cut.

"Although" continued the Dean, "a part of this unfavorable showing can be traced to the group of dropped Freshmen, nevertheless, a part must be charged against the new men. While, perhaps the figures above recorded are too small to require an explanation, it may be that the less favorable showing is due to a relaxation of pressure from the office as compared with the previous year. It will be remembered that the Class of 1927, the first to face the higher promotion requirements, suffered rather severely from them. An unusual effort was made with the Class of 1928 to help it meet the new requirements, with the result that it made as good a record as the last class which had only the lower requirements to meet. It was felt, however, that such a careful following of the individual Freshman as was then made would not be altogether the best thing for them when they passed to the Sophomore year and began to do upper-class work; and accordingly the pressure and supervision from the office were slightly relaxed and this may explain the slightly poorer record made by the Class of 1929.

It is interesting to notice that the Class of 1928, closely watched in its Freshman year, has not made an impressive record in its Sophomore year. Judgment of the policy lately pursued will not be possible however until the record of the Class of 1929 in its Sophomore year becomes available. If at that time it appears that the Class of 1929 has made a relatively better showing than the Class of 1928 for the Sophomore year, we may conclude with some assurance that a policy of close supervision in the first year, while it may render the hurdles of that year