CHANGE IN ADMISSION PLAN

A radical change has been made by a recent action of the Faculty in the plans for admission to Harvard College. This change is a step further in the direction towards making Harvard easy of admittance to the public school student who has not had special training with the passing of Harvard examinations in view. The first step, adopted a few years ago, was in creating a second plan of admission called the New Plan, by which the pupil's school record was taken into account, the pupil having, in addition, to pass four examinations in advanced subjects.

The change now made is in the Old Plan of Admission. Technically expressed it amounts to this: that hereafter instead of requiring 26 "points" for admission, the candidate must pass examinations in studies amounting to 16 1-2 units of school work, except that candidates who present both Elementary Latin and Elementary Greek will be admitted without conditions on 15 1-2 units of school work. In not less than five units a candidate must pass examinations with grades above D. (A "unit" amounts approximately to one-fourth year of school work).

The chief change, it may be noted, for those who enter without conditions, lies in the fact that when Elementary Greek and Latin is offered, there is one less examination; under other circumstances the 16 1-2 units is equivalent practically, to the old 26 points.

It is in the consideration of the quality of school work in the case of a student who enters with conditions, however, that the plan is most radical. To quote from the official statement of the change:

"In admitting students with conditions, the Committee on Admission take into account not only the number of units in which a student passes but also the quality of his work as shown both by his examinations and by his school record. It is impossible, therefore, to define the requirements for admission with conditions, in terms of units. The requirements for admission without conditions are defined above in terms of units and grades; but the requirements for admission with conditions vary with individual records. The Committee on Admission considers each case on its merits."

The change means that Harvard has now two plans of admission, both of which, by lessening the necessity of special preparation to pass Harvard examinations and by laying greater stress on the pupil's everyday school record, tend to open the University to larger numbers of students.