English Majors Lead Drop Outs Of First Year Law School Men

A record group of first-year students dropped from the Law School last year, of whom a "surprising number" concentrated in English as undergraduates, Louis A. Toepfer, Director of Admissions at the Law School, disclosed yesterday.

More than 30 first-year students left the school in 1957-58, including seven who held degrees in English, he said. Since English concentrators make up only about 15 per cent of the class, their drop out rate was "disproportionate."

Both personal and academic factors contributed to the departures, Toepfer noted. "What actually surprises me is that there are not more of them," he said. "A great many people come to the Law School with no particular motivation. They have only a vague idea that a Law degree will be helpful to them later on."

Already this year, 19 first-year Law students, from the Class of 1961, have left the University, Topefer added. This figure is four or five higher than normal, but it does not approach last year's total of 26 by the end of January. No breakdown of undergraduate records has been given for this group.

While drop outs have increased, applications to the Law School have burgeoned, according to the Law School Record. As of Feb. 5, 611 applications had been received by the Admissions Committee, compared to an average of about 500 at that time in past years.

"No change at all in admission policy will result from the record of last year's drop outs," Toepfer insisted.