Record Number Of New Students Enter As Sophs

A record 123 members of this year's entering class received advanced standing, Edward T. Wilcox, director of the program at Harvard, announced Wednesday. Only 15 'Cliffies, however, two less than last year, accepted sophomore standing.

This is the first time in three years that the number receiving advanced standing has increased significantly.

Wilcox reported that an additional 40 Harvard freshmen were eligible for advanced standing but chose to turn it down Students not interested "in moving fast into a specific area rightly rejected sophomore standing," he stated. A student accepting advanced standing must choose a field of concentration in his first year.

A second reason for the large number of rejections of advanced standing by eligible freshmen is that in some fields it is difficult to complete a full program in three years. "In biochemistry, for example," Wilcox noted, "a student cannot take all the required courses in less than the full four years."

Program Begun in 1955

Despite these factors, Wilcox predicted that the number of advanced standing students will continue to increase each year, as it has since 1955 when the first two students were awarded sophomore standing. He noted, however, that the number of students who receive advanced placement is one or two subjects has begun to level off.

Catherine D. Williston, Associate Dean of Radcliffe, stated that this year's drop in the number of 'Cliffies accepting sophomore standing is "just a standard yearly fluctuation." More girls were eligible for advanced standing this year than last, however, "Entering students are much better prepared each year," she said, "but this fact is not always reflected in advanced standing and advanced placement figures."