Preliminary statistics for the Class of 1979 indicate that, as in the past, Economics is still the most popular choice for freshmen choosing their field of concentration.
The list of top ten majors, released yesterday by the Registrar's Office, is similar to the pattern of last year's freshman choices, although there are noticeable shifts in the popularity of some fields.
Biology, Government, and History--all traditionally popular fields of concentration--follow Economics on the list, which was compiled from the choices of the 1417 freshmen who have already submitted their concentration preference forms.
Dean Rosovsky said yesterday the students' choices reflect a continuing interest in professional fields, as evidenced by the popularity of areas such as Economics, Government, Biochemistry and Engineering.
"Obviously, the students are still going very much into law and medicine, and less into graduate school," Rosovsky said.
One of the largest shifts in student preference was the increased popularity of Government, which surpassed History as the third largest field of concentration among the members of the class.
Some members of the faculty expressed surprise at Government's surge in popularity, in the light of recent publicity surrounding the department's attempts to reduce "grade inflation" by enforcing stricter grading standards.
But Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. '53, chairman of the Government Department, said yesterday that the student's choices "show that people don't go about choosing their concentrations on the basis of what will bring them the easiest grades."
Mansfield added that he thinks the shift is a result of the greater interest in Government caused by the current presidential election campaign. "We see this shift every four years," he said.
The sharpest drop occurred among concentrators in Psychology and Social Relations, as 15 fewer students applied to the department for concentration this year.
Brendan A. Maher, chairman of the department, said yesterday the change reflects a shift in student attitudes towards various social problems, and a growing consciousness of "employment opportunities and how they relate to the state of the discipline outside college."
Maher said he was not sure if students were also reacting to the department's efforts to develop more rigorous standards, which he said do not conform to the view of many students that the field is an "easy major."
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