Gummere Calls Choice System Necessary Evil

Commenting on an accusation made last week that present admission policies of many colleges requiring applicants to list schools in order of preference cause a "great waste of talent," Richard M. Gummere, chairman of the Committee on Admissions, declared that "we go largely by first choices because we have to; all colleges have to."

The statement condemning the choice system was made by H. D. Grizzell, professor of Secondary School Education at the University of Pennsylvania, before the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools on Friday.

Grizzell pointed out that the distinction between the student who lists a college as his first choice and one who lists the same college as his second choice is in many cases an artificial one. Gummere agreed that a "very difficult" problem exists, but emphasized the fact that colleges are faced with the difficulty of choosing among swarms of satisfactory candidates and must make a distinction somewhere along the line.