Dean Reports Drop In Freshman Marks

The number of freshman with "unsatisfactory" November grades--two D's or an E--has gradually increased over the past three years, despite rising admissions standards, the Freshman Dean's Office has disclosed.

There are 162 in this group this year, nearly 15% of the class, as compared to 152 last year and 150 two years ago.

Dean von Stade explained this by saying "it takes time to get used to a new way of doing things." Since freshmen come from over 600 schools, for most of them Harvard "is quite a change."

Since the method of planning first year programs in "far from perfect, some of these students may have enrolled in courses over their heads," von Stade added.