Economics Still Leads English as Popular Concentration Field

The growing preference which students have been showing for concentration in the Department of Economics instead of English this year became a decided majority according to figures released yesterday by the Committee on the Choice of Electives.

English, which usually has led the list last year was superseded by the field of Economics and this year Economics gained an overwhelming majority of 106 men. The two leading fields have 18.7 and 14.2 percent respectively of all the men in the three upper classes in the University.

The number of approved candidates for honors has continued its steady increase having risen 12 in actual numbers and 1.4 percent over last year's total. These figures show that although. Economics draws more men to its field, English still has a substantial lead in number of candidates for honors, 35.6 percent of its total as compared with 32 percent in Economics.

History has shown a steady increase in popularity during the last three years coming up from 9.4 to 10.7 percent of the whole number. A significant development is shown by the figures of the fields of Bio-Chemical Sciences, Biology and Chemistry all three closely related. In 1927 in the combined fields there were 314 students; Bio-Chemical Sciences had 71 men; Biology had 87; and Chemistry had 156. In 1928 the first named drew 92 candidates and increase of 21; Biology dropped 16; and Chemistry decreased 19. This year however although the total of the three remained essentially the same Bio Chemical Sciences made an even more definite increase, 40 men; Biology dropped but three; and Chemistry decreased again having 105 men. The percentages of the total of all three groups remained practically constant during the three year stretch.

The figures showing the number and percentage of concentrators in each field reveal that 77.8 percent of those in the Department of Classics 35 out of a possible 45 are candidates for honors Sociology and Social Ethics which was just started the year before last ranks a close second with 15 from its 20 members being aspirants for honors Philosophy having 60 percent of its men approved for honors is third.

Government fifth largest field offers 66 out of 135 honors candidates; History and Literature ninth is size has 55 from 113 or 48.6 percent.

The Department of Romance Languages has the smallest number of candidates for honors among those with more than ten concentrators. Only 50 men 24.3 percent of the total of 206 have been approved while Fine Arts having 29 out of 117 or but 24.8 percent in a close second