The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-11
Yale May Let Dorm Bars
to Public School Graduates
Old Eli May Follow Example of Harvard and
Princeton in Revising Entrance Requirements.
Principles on Which Nerv Plan Is Based

A committee of the Yale University fac
uIty has recommended new plan OF
| admission to the university which it Is
believed will go far toward broadening
| the scope Of Yale as a national univer-
sity. The new plan has already been
adopted by the Sheffield Scientific School,
and Its immediate adoption by Yale Col
lege seems assured. The direct result of
this new plan of entrance requirements
will be to admit more boys from the
public schools. Harvard first and then
Princeton within the last two years have
amended and revised their plans of ad-
mission, so that with the adoption of its
proposed plan by Yale the big three
among the colleges will have made an
important step toward co-ordinating
themselves with the American public
system.
The system of entrance examinations
has been in effect at these universities
Tor scores Of years, and the exaniina
tons have grown into such forms that
only youths especially prepared for
them were able to pass. The public high
schools could not shape their curriculum
with view to preparing students for
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. There
were too many young men in the public
schools who could not afford to go to
any college, and 1t was the duty of the
schools to give them the best and most
practical education they could give with
In the high school period And also
there were colleges with other lines of
preparation than the strictly classical so
long required by the universities.
Gradually the big private schools de-
veloped, schools like Exeter, Andover,
Groton. st. Paui's, and other big private
academies which grew up and set them
selves the peculiar task of preparing
young men for the universities But
only the rich could afford this expensive
preparatory training, and so the prob
lem of democracy in college, attached it.
self to the problem Of preparatory train
ing
Instead of setting long list of studies
in which the prospective freshmen must
saw or heard of the prospective fresh
man before. the new plan is to require
examination in fewer subjects. to have
cooperation between the public
schools and the colleges in the prepara-
ton OF the examination papers, and to
give some recognition to a youths rec
ord in school Entire dependence in
determining the candidates fitness for
admission to college will not be deter
mined by what he writes in his examine
ton blue book.
The Yale authorities outline the recon- |
mended plan as being based on the fol- |
lowing four principles:
Cooperation between the Yale ex-
aminers and official representatives of
the schools in the preparation of exam |
nation papers.
THE reduction, where possible of the |
number of examinations and a broaden !
ing Of the scope of the examinations to |
test the general fitness of candidate in |
the whole subject |
THE school record, as well as the |
showing in the examination, to be |
given consideration in judging the can
didate's fitness.
Consideration of special cases of |
final candidates of exceptionally high |
preparatory record whose subjects Of |
study have differed somewhat from those |
prescribed for Yale entrance"
A movement in the direction of broad |
ening the entrance requirements has been |
evident for some years. Greek, for a |
ong time an absolute requirement was /
made optional at Harvard and Yale, |
though Latin is still required for candi-
1ates for the B. A. degree. Modern
languages may be offered instead by car
iidates for the bachelor of science de-
gree.