'Pre-Meds Urged To Gain Balanced General Training

Pre-medical students should make a well balanced liberal education their goal as undergraduates, the American Association of Medical Colleges recommended Tuesday.

Meeting in Atlantic City for its 64th annual convention, the Medical Colleges group heard the report of a special sub-committee which has completed a two and one half year study of 115 colleges and universities.

Dr. Aura E. Severinghaus of Columbia Medical School, who presented the report to the convention, said that the study had pointed up the "existing conflict between vocational and liberal education."

The group stressed the importance of what it called "a sound liberal education" as the basic preparation both for life and for future professional medical training.

In addition to a general education program, the report advised each student to develop one specific interest as intensively as possible. Elimination of the fourth year of college was not recommended by the committee, which emphasized that senior theses, seminars, and disucssion groups play a valuable part in the undergraduate's educational development.