THE CLASS OF 1928
Many people who are otherwise perfectly normal like to mull over what may be called human statistics, if such things can be human. As a result of this weakness I have been asked to compare statistically the classes of 1927 and 1928.
To the writer the most interesting comparison is found in the fact that whereas practically the same number of men were selected on April first to yield as nearly as possible 600 matriculants in the fall, nevertheless actually the class of 1927 numbers 595, whereas 1928 contains 672 men. In other words, the shrinkage between those selected and those who report which has existed for years failed to develop this year. I am afraid this means that Dartmouth is getting even more popular than ever, and that many boys who a year or two ago made her a second choice now hoist the green to the top of their flag-staff. It should be said here that we kept our list of applications open this summer, with rather amazing results. During April, May and June applications came in at the rate of approximately 100 per month, and at about 50 per month since that time. Unfortunately, the great majority of these summer applicants had to be refused, owing to the fact that practically the entire class was chosen on April first. Nevertheless, we simply had to find room for perhaps a score of most exceptionally qualified men. Another year fewer men will be selected on April first, and more during the summer, with an undoubted resultant raising of the quality of the entire group. It seemed throughout the summer to the Director of Admissions that the quality of the summer applicants was very high, perhaps because he realized that he could have replaced profitably about 50 men selected in April with 50 others refused in the summer.
Another rather significant fact about the class is that 42.2% have registered for the A.B. degree as compared with 40.8% in 1927, 36.2% in 1926, and 34.8% in 1925, the last non-selected class. Does this mean that the classics are becoming more popular, or that in selecting the best applicants one finds them among men who have successfully handled Latin in school.
In studying the tables that follow it will be well to remember that 1928 is about 10% larger than 1927, which means that to get a true comparison approximately 10% of any 1928 figure should be deducted before comparing it with the corresponding figure for 1927.
It will be seen from the above table that Massachusetts has had a large increase in her delegation this year, and New York a decided decrease. It should be remarked, however, that the present ranking of these states is about the normal one for other years, with the exception of 1927. The fact that beginning this year we required 75% as a passing grade for Regents examinations has probably reduced the New York figures from those of last year, and the excellent record of recent Massachusetts delegations at Dartmouth probably explains the other matter.
California with 8 representatives, Colorado with 6, Nebraska with 8, Tennessee with 4, Texas with 5, Utah with 2, and Vermont with 22 furnish rather striking comparisons with 1927.
SECTIONAL DISTRIBUTION 1927 1928 New England 231 309 Middle Atlantic 206 191 Southern 23 31 Central 110 114 Rocky Mountain 11 11 Pacific 10 12 Foreign 4 4 Total 595 672
In general, New England, the South, and the Far West, have noticeably increased their delegations, whereas the Middle Atlantic States have fallen off, and the Central States have preserved their status quo. During the past four years the number of Southerners in the entering class have been respectively 14, 19, 23, and 31.
OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 1927 1928 Artists and Authors 18 18 Business 342 358 Chemists 11 6 Civil Service 16 13 Clerical 19 21 Clergy 14 4 Doctor 36 38 Educator 16 27 Engineer 25 27 Farmer 24 17 Laborer 18 44 Lawyer 33 46 Newspaper 4 12 Miscellaneous 19 41 Total 595 672
The writer does not observe anything startling in the distribution of parental occupations, except that whereas educators' sons have increased from 16 to 27, and laborers' sons from 18 to 44, the clergy have fallen from 14 to 4. Whether or not this means race suicide among the clergy, we are sorry to see it for even a single year, as we like ministers' sons as well as some deacons' daughters.
It may be of interest to state that the 358 business fathers are distributed as follows: Advertising 6, Banking 14, Bonds 11, Building 12,- Insurance 14, Lumbermen 16, Manufacturing 88, Merchant 77, Officers of Companies 44, Railroad 11, Real Estate 25, Undertaking 2, Salesmen and Sales Managers 38.
CHURCH PREFERENCES 1927 1928 Baptist 35 40 Christian 3 2 Christian Science 18 12 Congregational 139 173 Dutch Reformed 4 S Episcopal 90 109 Jewish 21 18 Lutheran 9 11 Methodist 56 69 Presbyterian 87 85 Roman Catholic 73 83 Unitarian 19 15 United Brethren 3 0 Universalist 4 8 United 3 2 Miscellaneous 7 5 No preference 24 35 Total 595 672
The five listed under miscellaneous are: Advent Christian 1, Bible Association 1, Russian Greek Catholic 1, Orthodox 1, and Plymouth Brethren 1.
It will be observed that the College remains true to its founders, and the Congregationalists have supported the col- lege prolifically. It will be seen, however, that the heathen have done likewise. The reader should not fail to notice from the miscellaneous group that the class contains one member of the "Orthodox" religion. We could have found out this young gentleman's church, but for the benefit of prominent lecturers who may visit the College it seemed best not to spoil1 his own designation.
COLLEGE TRAINING OF PARENTS 1927 1928 Sons of Dartmouth Alumni 27 39 College Fathers 139 182 No. of Colleges 73 77 College Mothers 48 65 No. of Colleges 29 41 Both Parents College Bred 32 43
The above table shows that 182 members of 1928 have college fathers trained at 77 colleges, as compared with 139 in last year's class, from 73 colleges. Our own alumni group has been particularly active in these past years, in fact to the extent of 39 boys in the class, a very substantial increase over any previous year. It may be of interest to know that the average year of graduation of these boys' fathers was 1896, even though the class of '96 does not have a boy in the class of '28. In other words, it takes the average alumnus of the College about twenty-eight years to get a boy ready for Dartmouth. One boy's father graduated in 1884, and another father is an exmember of 1908. The writer is willing to offer a small bet that the former father has been in the education business, and the latter in the bond business. Moreover, he would at least like to hazard a guess that the 1908 man left college because he was in love.
Last year the colleges ranking next to Dartmouth with sons in the class were: Michigan 7, M.I.T. 6, Harvard and Western Reserve 5. This year they are M.I.T. 11, Yale 9, Columbia 8, Boston University and Harvard 5.
The mothers of 65 members of 1928 were unspoiled by 41 colleges, as compared with 48 mothers from 29 colleges for the class of 1927. This year Wellesley goes into the lead with 7 freshman mothers, Smith has 6, Oberlin 4, Mt. Holyoke and Vassar 3. Last year Smith accounted for 5 mothers, Hunter and Oberlin 4, Holyoke, Radcliffe and Vassar 3.
SCHOOL REPRESENTATION No. No. No. of from from Schools Public Private Public Private 1928 357 264 93 422 243 1927 329 249 80 412 176
As usual, the statistics referring to the school representation in the class furnish very pleasant reading for those interested in the welfare of Dartmouth. Last year's class had representatives from 329 schools, a record breaker; and yet this class has men from no less than 357 schools, a representation that I believe cannot be approximated anywhere else in the country. These 357 schools consist of 264 public and 93 private. The public schools sent 422 men into the class as compared with 412 last year; whereas 243 boys come from private schools as compared with 176 the year before. This increase of boys from private schools is very marked, and bears out a hunch that the Director of Admissions has had all year, that more and more men from the big preparatory schools are applying for admission to Dartmouth, perhaps. because of the fact that more and more are deciding that a finishing off year is a pretty safe precaution. This perhaps explains the fact also that the average age of the entering class has steadily gone up in recent years, being 18.39 this year, 18.38 last year, and 18.35 for 1926.
In connection with school delegations it is of interest to note that the largest delegation this year comes from Phillips Exeter, and consists of 28 men. The second largest comes from Dean, and consists of 13 men; and the third from Peddie, and consists of 12 men. As compared with these large delegations it must be remembered that no less than 228 schools sent a single representative to the class of 1928.
METHODS OF ADMISSION 1927 1928 Certificate 496 534 Examinations 60 37 Examinations and Certificate 32 94 "Special Certificate" 166 179 Without conditions 406 464 Maximum conditions 24 37
The figures relative to methods of admission show a pleasing increase in the number of men who can and do enter by certificate, and a rather unpleasant increase in the number of those entering by a combination of certificate and examination. This last phenomenon is unquestionably caused by the increase in the number of men entering after one year's finishing off in a private school.
Dean of Freshmen
