What's Your Major? Apply First, Please

Andy W. Williams '97 applied to Harvard just about a year ago.

Now, in the spring of his first year, he's about to face another admissions procedure: Getting into his concentration, Social Studies.

"It's kind of nervewracking," he says. Social Studies is very important to him, and no other concentration at Harvard will fulfill his educational goals as well, he says.

In eight concentrations, undergraduates like Williams must survive this second admissions procedure to pursue their chosen academic interests.

Departments defend their selectivity in two ways: the rigor of the concentrations and the need to keep classes small.

They also point out that very few students are truly excluded by their application processes: most closed departments have a "second round" admissions procedure and admit well over half of the applicants.

But some undergraduates ask if a University dedicated to the free pursuit of knowledge should place such barriers in the way of its students. If someone wants to study Social Studies or History and Literature, why prejudge their qualifications?

"I think that anyone who's willing to do thework and thinks they can handle it should beallowed to give it a shot," says Daniel J. Goldey'96, a Social Studies concentrator.

Eight of the 41 concentrations--EnvironmentalScience and Public Policy, History and Literature,History and Science, Literature, Social Studies,the Comparative Study of Religion, Visual andEnvironmental Studies (VES) and Women'sStudies--have an admission procedure.

The application processes vary, but mostinclude an essay, interview and submission offirst-year grades. Departments judge enteringsophomores on academic standing during the firstyear, enthusiasm for the subject material and thedegree to which a student "matches" aconcentration.

But the procedures do not seem justified to astudent who saw him or herself as "matching" achosen field well and was denied the chance to tryit.

"I felt as qualified as a lot of the otherpeople who got in. I really didn't understand,"says one student who was rejected by Literature onhis first application. "I was really keen on doing[Literature]."

The departments' first justification for theirselective processes is the rigor and difficulty oftheir academic program.

Traditionally, honors or interdisciplinaryconcentrations require a personal, intensiveinstructional approach, department members say.All of the selective concentrations arehonors-only except for the new EnvironmentalStudies major.

"The relationship [between history and science]is not evident," says Peter Galison, professor ofthe history of science. "That integrative processis what is so difficult to do well. We're tryingto do something that's really fairly unusual--notto just have it become a major and minor."

Social Studies Director of Studies Judith E.Vichniac echoes Galison's concerns.

"The level of intensity is such that there arestudents who may find the rigor of the sophomoretutorial a lot more than they were interested indealing with," she says.

Because of these characteristically rigorousacademic programs, most of the selectiveconcentrations require a demonstration of a highlevel of motivation on the student's part.

A committed faculty expects that students willbe equally committed, says Anne Harrington, Kahnassociate professor of the history of science andassistant head tutor of the department.

"Once people are in we really invest in them,"she says. "[We expect that they will] fulfilltheir end of the contract. We want to know whowe're getting."

But the departments don't just search forcommitment: a certain mindset and intelligencelevel are also judged from applications materials,even though such materials only reflect first-yeargrades.

"I guess there's degree to which intelligenceis something you may be looking for," says WilliamF. Fisher, assistant professor of anthropology andof social studies.

Selective departments simply don't want toadmit people who can't do high-level work,professors say, and their concern is for theunderqualified students.

"We don't want people to come in and drown andstruggle," says Harrington. "It's kind of a falsekindness if you admit people [who aren't able todo the work]."

Lecturer on History and History and LiteratureVincent J. Tompkins concurs, saying the departmentwould do a disservice to the students if itadmitted those who could not handle the work.

"I wouldn't want to disallow paternalismcompletely," says Dean for Undergraduate EducationLawrence Buell. "I think that in a concentrationwhere a major piece of work is going to beexpected at the end, and there is unusualinterdisciplinarity, it is not unusual to do somesorting at the entry level."

But the departments say their exclusions arenot just based on the rigor of their courseloads:limited resources force them to keep students out.

The concentrations can only accept as manystudents as faculty numbers allow, professors say.Most of the admissions-based concentrations limittutorial enrollment to six or eight, and severalof them provide individual faculty advisors fortheses.

"In order to maintain the quality of theprogram there's cap," says Fisher.

"We try to admit as many as we possibly can[given the constraints]," says Galison. "Ninetypercent of my reason for screening is to make surethat we have the staff to give a highly focusededucation."

The department members point out that facultydistribution is determined by the administration,so they cannot expand without appealing to thedean of the Faculty.

According to Buell, the present university widebudget crunch is responsible for the lack offunding for additional positions.

"I am myself very sympathetic to the positionthat the honors-only concentrations ought to beable to absorb all the highly qualified studentswho wish to concentrate," he says. "I should liketo see the supply and demand proportions be ableto float freely. As things stand now, because ofthe overall budget imbalance, we can't make goodon that."

In a time of fiscal restraint, says AssociateDean for Academic Planning Caron J. Thompson, "Youcan't always have every department growing andnothing shrinking."

But Buell throws the responsibility fordetermining numbers right back to the departments.

"I don't think that the concentrations canclaim that there is any statutory restriction thatwould prevent them from taking two or three moreconcentrators," he says.

Whether the justification is academic orfinancial, some students simply find therestrictions unacceptable. The professors' concernover academic qualification smacks of paternalismand exclusion, they say.

"The student is probably aware whether or nothe or not he or she can handle something and isprobably the best qualified to make thatjudgement," says one Literature concentrator.

Brady G.S. Case '97, who is considering aSocial Studies concentration, questions the closedmajors' basis for selection as well as their rightto keep students out.

"I don't think I really agree with the idea ofkeeping people out of a field of study because oftheir grades," he says. "You've shown you're not atotal goof-off by getting into Harvard. I don'tthink they should turn people away."

But the fact is, selective departmentprofessors say, they turn very few away and givestudents repeated chances to pursue theconcentrations they choose.

"Admissions is not some sort of cumulativegrade point average," says Galison. "I have thesame philosophy at every level...You want to lookfor an excuse to have something work."

History and Science refuses admission to onlytwo or three of 40 applicants, History andLiterature accepts "over half" and Social Studiesgrants admission to about 90 percent. TheComparative Study of Religion application issimilar to a self-selection process in whichapplicants learn more about the concentration andare very rarely denied admission.

"For students who are genuinely interested, wetry to give them a number of opportunities," saysTompkins. "We ask that they demonstrate theirability to handle [the work]. We're not selectivefor the purpose of being restrictive."

The History and Science Department will alsoadmit students who are weaker candidates on"probation," giving them a period of grace inwhich to prove themselves capable of handling therequirements of the concentration.

Most concentrations also reserve slots so thatstudents can reapply at the beginning of theirsophomore year.

And many students in the selectiveconcentrations say the application procedure wasfar from ruthless.

Getting into his department was not difficult,says History and Science concentrator Peter D.Pinch '94.

"I think that as a selective process, all itdoes is self-select. It's not that competitive,"he says. "I can't imagine History and Scienceturning anyone away."

"I really don't remember what I said [on theform]. It seemed to me to be almost a formality,"says Social Studies concentrator Hansen.

But the question for some is not the relativedifficulty of the process or how many areadmitted.

It is the simple existence of a barrier betweena student in a liberal University and his or herchosen field of knowledge.

Says Hansen, "Once you get into Harvard, youearn the right to make your own rules and play bythem.

"I think that anyone who's willing to do thework and thinks they can handle it should beallowed to give it a shot," says Daniel J. Goldey'96, a Social Studies concentrator.

Eight of the 41 concentrations--EnvironmentalScience and Public Policy, History and Literature,History and Science, Literature, Social Studies,the Comparative Study of Religion, Visual andEnvironmental Studies (VES) and Women'sStudies--have an admission procedure.

The application processes vary, but mostinclude an essay, interview and submission offirst-year grades. Departments judge enteringsophomores on academic standing during the firstyear, enthusiasm for the subject material and thedegree to which a student "matches" aconcentration.

But the procedures do not seem justified to astudent who saw him or herself as "matching" achosen field well and was denied the chance to tryit.

"I felt as qualified as a lot of the otherpeople who got in. I really didn't understand,"says one student who was rejected by Literature onhis first application. "I was really keen on doing[Literature]."

The departments' first justification for theirselective processes is the rigor and difficulty oftheir academic program.

Traditionally, honors or interdisciplinaryconcentrations require a personal, intensiveinstructional approach, department members say.All of the selective concentrations arehonors-only except for the new EnvironmentalStudies major.

"The relationship [between history and science]is not evident," says Peter Galison, professor ofthe history of science. "That integrative processis what is so difficult to do well. We're tryingto do something that's really fairly unusual--notto just have it become a major and minor."

Social Studies Director of Studies Judith E.Vichniac echoes Galison's concerns.

"The level of intensity is such that there arestudents who may find the rigor of the sophomoretutorial a lot more than they were interested indealing with," she says.

Because of these characteristically rigorousacademic programs, most of the selectiveconcentrations require a demonstration of a highlevel of motivation on the student's part.

A committed faculty expects that students willbe equally committed, says Anne Harrington, Kahnassociate professor of the history of science andassistant head tutor of the department.

"Once people are in we really invest in them,"she says. "[We expect that they will] fulfilltheir end of the contract. We want to know whowe're getting."

But the departments don't just search forcommitment: a certain mindset and intelligencelevel are also judged from applications materials,even though such materials only reflect first-yeargrades.

"I guess there's degree to which intelligenceis something you may be looking for," says WilliamF. Fisher, assistant professor of anthropology andof social studies.

Selective departments simply don't want toadmit people who can't do high-level work,professors say, and their concern is for theunderqualified students.

"We don't want people to come in and drown andstruggle," says Harrington. "It's kind of a falsekindness if you admit people [who aren't able todo the work]."

Lecturer on History and History and LiteratureVincent J. Tompkins concurs, saying the departmentwould do a disservice to the students if itadmitted those who could not handle the work.

"I wouldn't want to disallow paternalismcompletely," says Dean for Undergraduate EducationLawrence Buell. "I think that in a concentrationwhere a major piece of work is going to beexpected at the end, and there is unusualinterdisciplinarity, it is not unusual to do somesorting at the entry level."

But the departments say their exclusions arenot just based on the rigor of their courseloads:limited resources force them to keep students out.

The concentrations can only accept as manystudents as faculty numbers allow, professors say.Most of the admissions-based concentrations limittutorial enrollment to six or eight, and severalof them provide individual faculty advisors fortheses.

"In order to maintain the quality of theprogram there's cap," says Fisher.

"We try to admit as many as we possibly can[given the constraints]," says Galison. "Ninetypercent of my reason for screening is to make surethat we have the staff to give a highly focusededucation."

The department members point out that facultydistribution is determined by the administration,so they cannot expand without appealing to thedean of the Faculty.

According to Buell, the present university widebudget crunch is responsible for the lack offunding for additional positions.

"I am myself very sympathetic to the positionthat the honors-only concentrations ought to beable to absorb all the highly qualified studentswho wish to concentrate," he says. "I should liketo see the supply and demand proportions be ableto float freely. As things stand now, because ofthe overall budget imbalance, we can't make goodon that."

In a time of fiscal restraint, says AssociateDean for Academic Planning Caron J. Thompson, "Youcan't always have every department growing andnothing shrinking."

But Buell throws the responsibility fordetermining numbers right back to the departments.

"I don't think that the concentrations canclaim that there is any statutory restriction thatwould prevent them from taking two or three moreconcentrators," he says.

Whether the justification is academic orfinancial, some students simply find therestrictions unacceptable. The professors' concernover academic qualification smacks of paternalismand exclusion, they say.

"The student is probably aware whether or nothe or not he or she can handle something and isprobably the best qualified to make thatjudgement," says one Literature concentrator.

Brady G.S. Case '97, who is considering aSocial Studies concentration, questions the closedmajors' basis for selection as well as their rightto keep students out.

"I don't think I really agree with the idea ofkeeping people out of a field of study because oftheir grades," he says. "You've shown you're not atotal goof-off by getting into Harvard. I don'tthink they should turn people away."

But the fact is, selective departmentprofessors say, they turn very few away and givestudents repeated chances to pursue theconcentrations they choose.

"Admissions is not some sort of cumulativegrade point average," says Galison. "I have thesame philosophy at every level...You want to lookfor an excuse to have something work."

History and Science refuses admission to onlytwo or three of 40 applicants, History andLiterature accepts "over half" and Social Studiesgrants admission to about 90 percent. TheComparative Study of Religion application issimilar to a self-selection process in whichapplicants learn more about the concentration andare very rarely denied admission.

"For students who are genuinely interested, wetry to give them a number of opportunities," saysTompkins. "We ask that they demonstrate theirability to handle [the work]. We're not selectivefor the purpose of being restrictive."

The History and Science Department will alsoadmit students who are weaker candidates on"probation," giving them a period of grace inwhich to prove themselves capable of handling therequirements of the concentration.

Most concentrations also reserve slots so thatstudents can reapply at the beginning of theirsophomore year.

And many students in the selectiveconcentrations say the application procedure wasfar from ruthless.

Getting into his department was not difficult,says History and Science concentrator Peter D.Pinch '94.

"I think that as a selective process, all itdoes is self-select. It's not that competitive,"he says. "I can't imagine History and Scienceturning anyone away."

"I really don't remember what I said [on theform]. It seemed to me to be almost a formality,"says Social Studies concentrator Hansen.

But the question for some is not the relativedifficulty of the process or how many areadmitted.

It is the simple existence of a barrier betweena student in a liberal University and his or herchosen field of knowledge.

Says Hansen, "Once you get into Harvard, youearn the right to make your own rules and play bythem.