Thirteen Colleges Unite in Attempt To Standardize Application Forms

Thirteen colleges, including Harvard, have taken an initial step in standardizing the mass of application forms which confront a student applying to college.

For the first time, the secondary school reports filled out by high school principals or guidance counselors will be almost identical in the eight Ivy League schools and five other colleges.

The change is designed to aid the overworked guidance counselors, not the colleges, according to Fred L. Glimp '50, Dean of Admissions. "Since now the counselor can say the same thing to several schools, we hope he will spend more time and pick the best adjectives about a student."

Glimp stated that the secondary schools had been requesting the change for a long time. Officially a one-year experiment, the standardized report will probably become permanent.

Discounting the idea of a uniform application form for students, he said yesterday that the next standardization would probably be in the teacher's recommendation form. "There's not much advantage in a common student form," Glimp said. "It makes it too easy for a student to apply to many schools; besides, different schools like to ask different questions of their applicants."

Two Variations

The four-page form will allow for two small variations. On the first page, universities like Cornell, which contain non-liberal arts schools, will have space to include the school for which the student is applying. The second page will leave a blank for questions by individual colleges.

Developed by the Ivy League schools after two years of drafting and discussion, the new form was sent on approval to a number of other colleges. The five schools which decided to use it are Swarthmore, Haverford, Tufts, Bowdoin, and Union.

Several other colleges, including Radcliffe and other "seven sister" schools, have indicated interest in the standard report and may adopt it if it proves successful. The Educational Testing Service has announced that they are presently preparing a form similar to the one the 13 colleges will be using. They expect to complete the form so it can be used next year.