The wish that some competent friend might be at hand to give advice and assistance in the selection of one's electives is doubtless felt by almost every one at some time in his college life. For, although one generally prefers to decide for himself what shall be his profession or specialty, it is by no means a simple matter to arrange all his work and studies in college in such a way as will best fit him for his future career. The majority usually find it an uncertain undertaking to satisfactorily inform themselves of the precise natures of the different courses, as well as to choose those that are best suited to themselves. And so it comes that men are often more led to complain of than rejoice in the freedom of selection allowed them. For, where there is no guide or support, but each is left to his own responsibility, those who would be most eager for liberty of choice if they had to follow an iron-bound course, often become clamorous for direction when this liberty is granted them. The Johns Hopkins University solves the difficulty in the case by assigning to each student "some member of the academic staff, to whom he will go for advice and assistance, and through whom he will present to the faculty any special requests." There are numerous objections - such as the greater proportion of students in our case - to the adoption of such a plan at Harvard. Another plan suggested has been either that some member of the faculty deliver lectures to undergraduates upon the scheme and scope of the various courses, or that a descriptive circular be distributed to students, explaining the same things and giving tentative or provisional groupings of courses advised for certain supposed cases. The need for any of these plans in any case is not very serious, but still there are undoubtedly blunders made by many, if not by most of the men, in selecting their courses, which are afterwards regretted, and would have probably been prevented had they had access to good information and advice upon the subject. We know, of course, that it is written that "members of the faculty will be ready at any time to render assistance in this regard;" but it is notoriously the case, nevertheless, that comparatively few men do ever secure the advice of a professor at all in arranging their general course.