First Year Report States the Obvious

In a report on the first-year experience released to the student body today, the College's administration shared some of its newfound knowledge: students do not like Expository Writing 20; teaching fellows who do not speak English are detrimental to learning; students often have rooming disputes, exacerbated by cramped housing; and many students are dissatisfied with their social lives.

Throughout the 2006-2007 academic year, a committee led by outgoing Dean of the College David R. Pilbeam and Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman '67 met on a biweekly basis to "consider the first-year experience in broad terms" in order to propose a series of recommendations relating to social, extracurricular, residential, and academic life of students that would help shape the outcome of their college experiences.

Using data from freshman surveys administered in spring 2006 as well as the admitted student questionnaire for the class of 2010, the committee analyzed student concerns and complaints relating to these fields.

The report cites three areas in which students should develop during their first year—critical skills, relationship to oneself, and relationship to the world beyond self—and seeks to reconcile student concerns with these general goals.

The report found that 86 percent of students were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their overall freshman experience, though ratings varied based on the aspect of student life being examined.

In the realm of academics, the report noted that students are less satisfied in large, impersonal classes, such as Life Sciences 1a and 1b, and tend to appreciate close faculty interaction.

With respect to residential, extracurricular, and social life, students largely cite the absence of common spaces, interactions with upperclassmen, and high stress levels as problematic.

The recommendations detailed in the report provide a few concrete solutions to concerns but mostly prescribe looking more closely at specific aspects of first-year life.

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Nicole G. White can be reached at nwhite@fas.harvard.edu.