Blast from the Past: March 1963

Welcome to our first 'Blast from the Past" story pulled from the Neirad online archives. Many students are eagerly awaiting that email notice or thick envelope sitting in their mailbox that informs them where their lives will be spent the next four years. We thought students might find it interesting to see what colleges students in the 1960s were keen to attend. There are still many parallels as the 1963 story says: "Status is often a factor placed above happiness and self-confidence when considering a college."

"Which is the 'Right' College for you?" March 1963

NEIRAD enilno edition

Probably the most popular and authoritative college book, the purpose of which is to guide the aspiring student toward the "right" college, is that edited by Clarence E. Lovejoy. Of the 2,266 American colleges and universities presented there, two can be cited for a few comments. One is Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, with an enrollment of 550 men and a library of 146,000 volumes. In Winston- Salem, North Carolina, is situated Wake Forest College enrolling approximately 2,675 students and containing 150,000 volumes in its library.

On the General Electric College Bowl, the intellectual quiz game, on March 17, the students of Kenyon College beat those representing Wake Forest. The boys from Kenyon were intellectual, quick, and attractive. They were able to out-score students from Wake Forest, a college which is five times as large as Kenyon and which has recently been the beneficiary of a large grant from a wealthy family for a completely new campus.

Although the boys from Kenyon are not attending a "name" school, they apparently are obtaining an excellent education at a small, lesser known one. Besides being smart, they are attractive people with well-rounded personalities. They are prospering, both in their educational pursuits and maturity, at a school the reputation of which is not nation-wide.

At Darien High School or any other eastern college preparatory school, a student may have the idea that he has to attend his father's Ivy League college or another "name" school. Status is often a factor placed above happiness and self-confidence when considering a college. However, it is not always the large, notorious college that is the "right" one to attend.

While large colleges may boast of their facilties and their expanding faculties, a smaller college may offer the personal attention and interest that one may be unable to obtain at another school.

At this time of year the choosing of a college is of utmost interest to both juniors and seniors. Kenyon, being less known and one-fifth the size of another college, is able to offer much to an individual. Choosing a college is a personal problem- one that takes great thought. Consider your personality and not just a college's name when selecting your school.

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