'Cliffe Deans Face Pre-Med Failing, Pick Doctor to Advise North House

The Deans at Radcliffe have decided to do something about the lack of systemmatic pre-medical advice for Radcliffe students.

A practicing physician, Dr. Katherine Coolidge '53, has been appointed official pre-medical advisor to North House, Catherine D. Williston, dean of North House reported yesterday. Doctors have been affiliated in the past with Radcliffe Houses as advisors, but only on an informal basis.

Deans of South and East House have not taken any definite steps to establish pre-med programs in their Houses, but "they are both trying to work something up." Dean Williston said.

Many Cliffies interested in medicine have complained about the present dearth of advice, according to Helena H. Worthen '65, secretary of the Harvard-Radcliffe Pre-Medical Society. "A large number of students come to Radcliffe with thoughts of becoming doctors," she explained, "but in the absence of any practical counseling, their ambitions remain dreams and are often forgotten." Students set up the Pre-Medical Society last Fall to improve the program of advice at Harvard and Radcliffe.

There are no figures as yet on the number of Cliffies applying to medical school this year, according to Kathleen O. Elliot, Dean of Radcliffe. Last year, three Radcliffe seniors went on to medical school, the Radcliffe Appointments Bureau reported.

Dean Elliot said that Radcliffe has met with "very fine success" in sending students on to medical school. She added that she did not know "of a single instance" of prejudice against a Radcliffe applicant because of her sex.