Conant Presents Systematic Plan For Regulating Pre-Med Studies

James B. Conant '14 proposed yesterday that the entire pre-medical system be overhauled.

Speaking before a Philadelphia meeting of the Association of American Medical Schools, Conant recommended that a national certificate be established which could assure the student, at the end of his sophomore year, of admission to medical school.

The proposed change would involve a stepped-up program for capable students in high school. The program would include three years of science and four of mathematics.

As a result of increased high school math and science, Conant said, the premed student "could be examined in the sciences by the end of the freshman year, and be freed of further course requirements in science."

This preparation, Conant concluded, would eliminate sophomores science requirements and would make the national certificate plan feasible.

If pre-med sophomores could know one or two years in advance whether they would gain admission to medical school, he said, they could be free to get a broad general education in college.

This plan, if adopted, would also serve to relieve the intense pressure of grades on premedical students, freeing them for more independent study.