Summer Credits

Harvard in the summer may be an attractive place--warm weather, boating on the Charles, pretty girls, and a few comparatively easy courses. But there is another, and not quite so idyllic, side to the picture. It concerns the ruling that no credit will be given at Harvard for courses taken at the summer schools of other universities. The main difficulty involved in this rule is the fact that many students who come from the West are unable to go home for almost two years, because they are forced to attend classes here at Cambridge during the summer, and they can not afford to travel several thousand miles during winter and spring vacations.

According to the Dean's Office this rule was enacted because of Harvard's inability to judge the standards which other colleges maintain at their summer schools. Though it is of course true that many universities conduct summer sessions inferior to those of Harvard, it is likewise a fact that there are a good number of colleges who offer courses which are at least equal to those given at Cambridge during the summer months. And it is the student who would like to attend one of these colleges, nearer his home than Cambridge, who is getting the short end of the deal.

A moderate revamping of the rules might go a long way in solving this problem. A committee of the Faculty could be established, to receive all requests for permission to study elsewhere during the summer months. The committee would inquire into each such application; it could find out from the school involved just what material was covered and just what standards were maintained. The information thus collected could then be passed on to the department concerned, which, in conjunction with the central committee, would make the final decision. This plan might not be a cure-all, but it would at least be an improvement on the musty rule now in effect.