Summer School Can Be Fun, Too

Spending eight weeks at the Harvard Summer School may not seem like a particularly enjoyable way for a student to spend a vacation. For some, of course, it will be a necessity this July and August, since the Summer School here is the only one which the Faculty of Arts and Sciences recognizes for credit.

Yet the Summer School is becoming increasingly popular. Each year enrollment climbs, and this is not because there are more students than usual who fail courses during the regular two terms. The facts of the matter are really quite simple. Take a look at the official register for this year's session, for instance.

Under the heading, "Other Activities," there is this entry: "YARD PUNCHES: Every Wednesday afternoon punch is served in the shaded comfort of the Harvard Yard..." A little further down on the same page the following appears: "TOURS: One of the highlights of a summer session is the opportunity which a light study schedule provides for the students to see and enjoy the cultural, historical, and scenic attractions of New England."

In short, Harvard's Summer School--the oldest in the country--can be a very pleasurable place to be during the hot months. But this fact by no means precludes the possibility of really learning something. There are some 140 classes offered--usually a student choses two of these--aside from various conferences, forums, lectures, art exhibits, and other cultural activities, during the session.

In a sense, activities during the summer are much more organized and controlled by the administration than during the regular college year. There is a good reason for this, according to Assistant Director Robert C. Wood, who is also an assistant professor of Government. As he puts it, "With the student body here for only eight weeks, we can't expect activities to develop by themselves."

Lots of Women

And this student body is a vary diversified lot. Of the 2,500 students, some 30 percent come from Harvard. About 40 percent of the total are females, most of whom live in the dormitories around the Yard. The only requirements for admission to the Summer School is satisfactory completion of secondary school education.

Admission standards, like the types of courses offered, are designed for flexibility. Wood admits that the student body is quite different from that here during the winter, but, he adds, "it is not at all uninteresting or unable." Through various scholarship arrangements the school attracts students from all over the country not only for its regular courses, but also for its more experimental ones--particularly in the field of education.

Ideal Vacation

The Summer School has a great deal to offer--certainly considerably more than the opportunity merely to obtain that extra credit. It may not be every one's dream of a perfect vacation, but it certainly is for some.

Today is the last day for advance Summer School Registration for students at Harvard and Radcliffe. The place is Memorial Hall, any time from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A student registering at this time makes no financial commitment and may freely cancel.