FRESHMEN AND CONCENTRATION

That the system of advising Freshmen as to the fields of concentration has long been notoriously inadequate and practically worthless is a fact too well known to the freshman deans upperclassmen, and seniors especially, who were attempting to pick their field in the spring of their freshman year. In spite of the fact that each year complaints are made of the uselessness of the Freshman Advisers, the incoming Freshman hears nothing of the matter, and innocently trots about the Yard and the House seeking appointments with strange tutors, who will repeat the same message to each man on the glories of his field, and finally dashes to his "adviser" to sign a study card. Entirely apart from the student's own preference, and the suggestions his family will offer, the College makes no attempt to offer the information which is so necessary in choosing a field, and of which the Freshman hardly realizes the importance.

Recently the college has indirectly suggested to the Advisers that they might cat more frequently with their advisee in order to become acquainted with them, a suggestion which may another year result in more than a nodding acquaintanceship between Adviser and Advisee. No mere suggestion, however, will ever dispense with the utter ignorance of courses and fields in which the majority of Advisers are content to bask. Not until the College insists that its advisers possess first of all a reasonably, complete knowledge of a t least the more popular fields of concentration, including a thorough appreciation of the possibilities of distribution, and secondly, a reasonable amount of personal interest in each advisee, will the system approach success. If such requirement necessitates a change in personnel because a number of Advisers are to busy to master the essential detail, that change should be made.

Naturally there have been and are at present exceptions to the rule, but the fact remains that the majority of Advisers are living up to the tradition, and that this year's Freshman Class will encounter the same difficulties that other classes have faced. It is unlikely that the college will offer any remedy this year. Each individuals is therefore confronted by the necessity of learning to ignore his adviser, the harassed tutors on appointment duty, and all obviously opinionated points of view, and of seeking out the proper information for himself, it is not difficult to point out the potential mines of such information: there are friends either seniors or graduate students, perhaps an impartial tutor or instructor. But whatever the Freshman may do, he must make up his mind that the official channels of information in themselves are not sufficient. The adivce is, as a general rule, uninterested, superficial, and at best hasty.