LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Some Admissions Questions

TO THE EDITOR:

This is to raise a few questions and perhaps open a discussion about Dartmouth's practice/policy on admissions. I was disturbed originally, as you know, by an apparent lack of consideration for Dartmouth sons. I have since been told that 11 out of 14 sons of 1936 who applied have been accepted for this fall, and that changes my mind somewhat.

I would still insist that Dartmouth sons be given special consideration in the admissions practice, and that Dartmouth should clearly specify the details of the special consideration. Nobody who works to persuade alumni to support the College can fail to recognize that the admissions policy is a considerable factor in alumni giving, and few colleges depend so much on alumni support as Dartmouth does.

This is not to criticize the work of embattled Ed Chamberlain, a classmate for whom I have the greatest admiration and respect. But sometimes the amateurs - it is certainly so in the newspaper business - can raise questions that lead the pros to reconsider. Here are a few that occur to me:

If the admissions practice is dependable, how is it possible for a straw man to be admitted to Princeton, which I understand follows the techniques administered at all the Ivy schools? Isn't there entirely too much emphasis on CEEB and other scores? And, of all things, why is a personal interview at the College, at a time when the admissions staff is not overworked, discouraged?

What - and here I enter on debatable ground - is so wrong with gambling on a Dartmouth son who on paper frankly "doesn't have it"? I am sure that a certain amount of gambling is now practice; otherwise the attrition rate for Dartmouth sons would not be higher than for the general admissions group. But I would argue that - at least so long as the College encourages the Dartmouth tradition by alumni courses and other father-son programs - borderline Dartmouth sons should be allowed a more generous than usual opportunity to prove themselves.

You are quite aware, I'm sure, that some of Dartmouth's most loyal and for that matters must successful alumni are non-graduates. I can vouch that more than a few of them are highly productive as assistant class agents for the Alumni Fund - and extremely generous in their own giving.

Lastly, I am much troubled about the competitive aspect of our "elite" colleges today. I am disturbed when faculty and staff at Dartmouth tell me that they doubt whether the kids of today really have any fun. I am much more disturbed when the staff psychiatrist at Princeton reports that there were ten attempts at suicide within the past two years, as against no more than five in the previous nine.

My concern mounts to real unhappiness when I read (N. Y. Times, April 30) that the number of undergraduates at Columbia seeking psychiatric help has tripled in the past ten years. And that Yale employs 11 full-time and nine part-time professionals in its mental hygiene clinic. Dr. Preston Munter, assistant director and psychiatrist of the Harvard health services, says that "many of the most exceptional students are the most immature."

All of which leads me to ask: Is there not still something to be said for the well-rounded boy? And if there is, should not the alumnus' son deserve some special consideration and attention to see whether he so qualifies? Certainly a personal interview at Hanover seems the least to be expected.

Washington, D. C.

Approval from Afar

TO THE EDITOR:

Working in Pakistan with the Peace Corps my wife and I have often discussed the need for intellectual stimulation throughout one's life. Here, it takes a conscious, continuing effort to maintain a strong intellectual relationship. Living and working alone in a small village, nearly totally illiterate with little external influence, causes and allows one to reflect considerably on one's own intellectual development.

We were so pleased to read in Time magazine and the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE during recent months of your plan for the Alumni College. We both feel that it is important to keep in mind and action this intellectual endeavor which is often neglected due to the fast pace of the lives we live. We think the Alumni College idea will serve greatly to further the development of individuals and are heartened to see the overwhelming response that is being made by Dartmouth's alumni.

We look forward to returning home and to participating in occasional Alumni College sessions of the future. I thought that the academic program and plans for interrelating the topics of study were interesting and timely. I am proud to see Dartmouth leading the way in this important pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

Vehari, West Pakistan