Bender, Headmasters Say School's Social Status Concerns Very Few

A school's snob appeal is a very minor consideration for most students who are choosing a college, Wilbur J. Bender '27 Dean of Admissions, and two preparatory school headmasters stated yesterday.

The three educators disagreed with Courtney C. Smith '38, President of Swarthmore College and nominee for overseer, who said in a speech Monday that social pressure rather than academic standards too often determine what college a student will attend. "It's foolish to generalize about why somebody prefers one college to another," said Bender. "These are too many variables. Social pressure probably greatly affects only a very small minority."

Smith "Exaggerates"

William G. Saltonstall '28, Principal of Phillips Exeter Academy, called Smith's assertion "exaggerated." Most students pick a college principally for intellectual reasons. Saltonstall said. "I don't agree that very many are that conscious of social pressure," he added.

Headmaster of the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury. Frederick R. Wood '28, said that Smith had over-emphasized his point.

Speaking in New York to a meeting of preparatory school and college educators, Smith also referred to "pretty clearly understood gradations on the social merry-go-round in preparatory schools and college." Saltonstall and Wood denied knowledge of any "clear" gradations. Bender said he knew of no "social merry-go-round" among schools.

Intellectual Appeal

"A place like Harvard, which is old and famous, may appeal to more students than a younger school like Swarthmore," said Saltonstall, "but, the appeal is primarily intellectual." Wood said that a school's fame and prestige, however, is seldom undeserved, though it may sometimes be a false basis of comparison.

Bender, Saltonstall, and Wood did agree with Smith that the material advantages of a college must not be stressed at the expense of the scholar. "Over-concern with the non-intellectual may easily cause anti-intellectualism," said Saltonstall.