Fall Grades Average Drops As '55 Sets New Failure High

Undergraduates seem far less draft-conscious this year than last. According to figures released yesterday by Registrar Sargent Kennedy '28, last fall's course grades took a decided dip over the previous term.

Only the draft-conscious class of '53 had more men on the Dean's List and fewer unsatisfactories than the previous senior class. Juniors had 3.2 percent more Dean's List ment than their predecessors, but far more unsatisfactories. The number of sophomore failures hit a new comparative high.

Dean's List Smaller

Total number of men on the Dean's list declined from the 1951-52 normal 34.2 percent to 33.9, although this figure is still 1.6 percent above the 1951 average.

Academically, classes normally rank in order from seniors to freshmen, since withdrawals usually account for the improvement. Sophomore classes are often an exception for example, the class of '55 had 14.8 percent unsatisfactories as freshmen, but increased this figure to 15.6 as sophomores.

The class of 1953 led the field with a high 48.7 percent on the Deans' List and only 5.6 percent unsatisfactories, bettering by .2 percent the class of '52's record. Forty men ranked in group one.

The juniors did most to make the 1952-53 Dean's List standings almost equal to the previous year with 39.0 percent against 35.8 percent. In the unsatisfactory column the class faired poorly: 10.8 percent against 8.9 percent. Thirty men ranked in group one.

More Sophomore Failures

More sophomores had unsatisfactory records than in their freshman year or than the immediate three previous classes had. Last year, almost 15 percent of the class drew unsatisfactories, and this fall the number hit 15.6 percent.

The records for the classes of '52, '53, and '54 were 13.8 percent, 15.1 percent, and 12.5 percent respectively. Only 28.6 percent were on Dean's List (31.2 percent in 1951-52), 21 were group one.

With 15.9 percent unsatisfactories the freshman as usual, brought up the tall end of the grade ladder. Fourteen made group one, one more than in the previous year, and 25.7 percent were on the Deans' List (27.3 percent in 1951-52).

Unofficial calculations set the upper half dividing line for all classes somewhere in Group IV. Seniors, to be in the upper half, had to place in the top 1/15th of Group IV; juniors in the top half; sophomores, to 9/10ths; and freshman in the top 29/30ths of Group IV