Expos and Chemistry Most Popular; Intro Courses Are Summer Favorites

Introductory and Organic Chemistry (Chem S-1 and S-20) and Expository Writing again captured top slots on the list of most popular courses, latest Summer School enrollment figures show.

Total enrollment rose to 3 050 students, a 10 percent increase over last year.

The list of popular courses closely resembles last year's, with the top five slots remaining unchanged. Psychology and Social Relations S-15 and two introductory government courses (S-10 and S-50), gained slightly in enrollment, edging Biochemistry S-100 and Economics S-10 off the top-ten list. Total enrollment changes in these courses, however, were slight.

Marshall R. Pihl, associate director of the Summer School, said yesterday that it came as no surprise that introductory-level courses again lead in total enrollment.

85 percent of Harvard Summer School students are college students who come to Harvard to "take care of requirements," Pihl said. Credits from introductory courses are readily accepted by other colleges, he added.

Ten years ago the Chemistry Department was low in popularity, outranked by English, Psychology and Social Relations, Government, and History. The "great cross-over" to chemistry began in 1970 with Chemistry courses gaining steadily in enrollment each year since, Pihl said.

The Chemistry Department now has the second-largest total enrollment, outnumbered only by the English department. The department offers only two courses, Chemistry S-1 and S-20. The English Department offers eight, including the ever-popular English as a Foreign Language.

Pihl said he did not know why Expository Writing -- ten years ago at the bottom of the list in popularity -- now attracts such high enrollment. Many high-school graduates planning to matriculate at Harvard next year take Expos S-17, but high-school students account for only a little more than half of Expos enrollment, Pihl said.

Pihl attributed the high chemistry course enrollments to "a hell of a lot of pre-meds. "However, he quoted Robert J. Ginn, Director of Off-Campus Services and Off-Campus Learning, as saying that the number of declared pre-meds at Harvard is "significantly dipping."

Pihl said he didn't know if the number of Summer School pre-medical students is declining as Summer School students do not list their career preferences in their applications.

Like Bees

Leonard W. Holmberg, Summer School registrar, said Chemistry S-20 has the highest Summer School course attrition rate.

After the second hour exam they "drop out like bees," Holmberg said. "After you fail two there's not much point in going on," he added.

Official 1978 attrition figures are not yet available.

Ukrainian courses continue to draw large enrollments because they are "scholarship for free," Pihl said. He added that Ukrainian Studies students receive tuition scholarships. Ten Most Popular Summer School Courses Chemistry S-20  190 Expository Writing  190 English as a Foreign Language  149 Chemistry S-1  133 Ukrainian History  117 Introduction to Psych. & Soc. Rel.  98 Cell Biology  94 Gov. S-50  83 Introduction to Calculus  76 Math S-10  75