In Explanation

The difference in preparation between Yale and Harvard for an intercollegiate examination is simply the difference between two distinct attitudes toward the purpose of the last two years of college. At Harvard more emphasis is put upon a thorough comprehensive knowledge of one's main field of study, with other field occupying an ancillary position. The Harvard system devotes two years to an intensive study of a selected field in the belief that the-finest education is obtained by that man who at the end of four years has a detailed knowledge of one extensive field and a broad conception of its place in the whole range of study.

Yale does not favor concentration except for honors men. Honors men are allowed to concentrate at Yale during their last two years, because they are regarded by the college as already possessing the background essential before specialization can be undertaken, successfully. But the requirements for a major are so slight that the average man can scarcely be said to have a main field of study on which he focuses. The Yale system rests on the premise that for the average undergraduate specialization in college narrows him unduly, and prevents him from attaining a broad cultural background. It is the purpose of a college such as Yale to utilize the four years in presenting a great variety of courses from which the average man will be able to select those which appeal to him, within certain bounds prescribed by the requirements for degree. Four years, Yale believes, is a scant period in which to introduce a man to the field of learning and two years of it cannot safely be expended in allowing him to concentrate at the expense of his attainment of the highly desirable liberal education. --Yale News.