Honorable Mention

With the desirability for honors increasing as the criteria of the graduate schools become more selective, the present arbitrary standards of many departments are rapidly approaching the status of an intellectual roadblock. Faced by a variety of requirements, the student is measured for his Latin suffix less on the basis of his work than on departmental precedents and thus is more a victim of a system than a master of his academic fortune.

Judging from the awards of the last four years, a student's own chances for honors depended in large part on the department he selected. The high proportion of Magnas and Summas awarded by the science departments seemed to indicate that where a thesis was required, the chances for honors went down. The Summas awarded by Physics and Chemistry greatly exceeded the number handed down by the social sciences, although the latter fields have had more concentrators and consequently, more honors candidates. Granted that Government is more of a catch-all major than Physics, the proportion of awards among honors candidates alone was still greater in the latter field, demonstrating that the academic intentions of concentrators had little bearing on the differing number of honors.

Even more perplexing are the variations between sections of allied fields. In 1945-46, economics candidates were awarded twice as many Magnas as history men, though the number of Cum Laudes granted each group was the same. The inclination of the former field to give out higher awards is evident as far back as 1941, when they awarded two Summas while their brother-department awarded none. Such consistency tends to obviate the chance of an occasional variation, and swells a yearly surplus into a departmental reputation that may or may not be warranted.

Part of the discrepancy lies in the differing requirements for honors, the science departments judging a candidate on his course work alone, the social sciences on a mixture of grades, thesis, and tutorial. But the variations of awards among allied fields precludes explaining the problem solely in these terms. Whether a degree with honors should indicate individual, original work, or a flawless record along a prescribed schedule, the student seeking a graduate berth urgently needs a reappraisal of this higher distinction--be it a significant award or a departmental fluke.