'53 Marks Set New Record

A record-breaking 30.3 percent of the freshman class made the dean's list for the winter term, leading a college-wide trend toward higher marks, the office of the registrar announced yesterday.

Seniors registered a 47.5 percent total on dean's list for the past term, topping the College. They fall short of the freshman increase over last year by a few tenths of a percentage point.

The upsurge of freshmen on the dean's list was accompanied by a 3.1 percent decline in the number who failed to come up to the "three C's and a D' requirement during the same period last year.

Juniors and Sophomores Lag

Third rank juniors and sophomores were the only dean's list groupings that didn't top comparative figures for the winter torm of 1948-49. All other dean's list markings showed College-wide increases over last year's figures.

Another advance made by freshmen was in the number making first rank. At midyears of last year, 10 men out of 1889 gained top ranking; this year 22 freshmen are in Group I, out of a class that numbers 229 fewer members. On a percentage basis, the increase was almost threefold.

Leighton Not Surprised

Dean Leighton was not surprised by the high showing of the freshmen. He pointed out that the class is smaller, and therefore "a much more highly selected group."

Both the freshman dean and Registrar Sargent Kennedy '28 said that final grades usually top those of the mid-term, but they made no predictions of possible records for the scholastic year.