1922

Some pundit once said the only assured certainty of life is the possibility of change. Present Dartmouth students, as compared to the old-timers, exemplify that adage in choosing their major fields of study.

Seventy years ago the class of' 22 majored primarily in economics. We thought it might make us more competitive in the job market and be a step toward eagerly desired marriages. Very much lower on the scale of freely chosen majors were chemistry, biology, French, math, physics, political science, and even one young man majoring in psychology.

But with co-education now 23 years old, a revolution in the choice of majors has occurred. Numbers for the academic year of 1996 reflect the choices of the present Dartmouth men and women. Among majors chosen by 1,060 students, government, with 142, leads the parade, followed by history (115). Then comes biology (108), economics (103), English (92), and psychology (87). Among the innovators are 22 students majoring in Asiatic studies, 31 in studio art, and 15 in art history. In total there are 23 major fields of choice open to present Dartmouth students.

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