THE RANK LIST

Current reports that the Rank List for upperclassmen will not be published this spring are a welcome sign that the University intends to adopt some of the reforms proposed by Dean Hanford in his Report. He suggested, among other things, "that tutorial work can . . . be strengthened by altering certain practices which are remnants of the old system based entirely upon courses and the continuation of which place undue stress upon course grades as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end."

There can be no question that any plan to give the tutorial system the importance it deserves should be adopted so soon as possible. The system, while not yet fully developed, is potentially one of the most admirable aspects of Harvard. Its particular virtue is that the student can get an exact return on the time he gives it, whereas no matter how much time he is given to most courses, there is a limit to what they have to offer. For the student who is interested in his field it is a source of chagrin that at present the work he does for his tutor should pass unnoticed, and it is unfair that the impecunious should be forced to forego much of this interesting work for the sake of marks which may mean little. There is everything to be said for a plan which will make it possible for those students in need of scholarships to be judged on the basis of their zeal as well as their ability to obtain high marks.

For Freshmen the situation is different, and with them the Rank List fills a decided need. They do no tutorial work, and thus the only means of estimating their work is their marks. In addition the various schools wish to learn the record of its scholars. Finally, before a student enters upon a more advanced course of study, and is placed largely on his own responsibility, he should have some idea of the quality of his work compared to that of his classmates. But for seasoned upperclassmen the Rank List has no real significance, and its abolition will be a sign of the increasing maturity of American educational systems.