Freshmen Miss QRR Deadlines

At least 100 freshmen have already missed deadlines for taking the computer test portion of the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement (QRR) required for graduation.

About 500 students already have passed, said Core Preceptor Yuriko Kuwabara, who added that the number of students who missed the deadline may be higher than 100.

The figures are comparable to last year's figures for the first third of the fall semester testing period, said Kuwabara. Only 600 students were expected to have taken the test thus far.

Although students have until April to take the test, the QRR committee assigns 10 staggered deadlines randomly in order evenly to distribute test takers. Nonetheless, many students took their tests at the last minute last year and faced hour-long waits, said Kuwabara.

The test involves writing a short program for the Harvard Computer and accessing the system.

"While no one is put on academic probation for missing deadline, if all 1600 students showed up at the same time, some would miss taking the test," said Kuwabara.

For the first time this year, freshmen automatically will go on academic probation if they don't pass both parts of the QRR test by April. However, "individual circumstances are always taken into account by the administrative board," said Dean of Freshmen Henry C. Moses.

Freshmen who missed the deadline received nothing more than letters and phone calls counseling them to take the test and get help if needed. "Some people are afraid of computers. If there's anything we can do to help, we'll do it," said Kuwabara.

The deadlines "are not an attempt to frighten people," said Kuwabara. "We don't want to punish them."

However, some freshmen who missed the deadline said they feared they had done something wrong.

"I feel stupid," said Kathryn Tuma '90, who missed her deadline three days ago. "I wrote it down at least 300 times to remind myself. I must have lost all the pieces of paper."

"They should give some disclaimer to the idea of a deadline. A lot of people get uptight about that. I did," said Ned Keaton '90.

Others said they knew deadlines weren't strict and were waiting until they had time to take the test. "I don't remember when my deadline was," said Lisa Donner '90. "It was long ago, the last thing on my list of priorities."

Harvard requires the test early so that students become familiar with programming and the College's computer system, said Kuwabara. "We're not thinking that people ought to become hackers, but it's part of your general education."

"It's a reasonable requirement to have some understanding of those silly machines, but I don't think that this little test will make that true," said Donner.

"I'm not really sure I learned very much, except how to pass this test," said Maurie Samuels '90, who took a mini-course given by the QRR committee.

"If Harvard is going to go to the trouble of stating their goals so clearly, they might as well make it something worthwhile," said Seaton.