"The [Chemistry} 20/30 sequence is experimental. We are teaching advanced stereochemistry and frontier molecular orbital theory," he says. "We have a seen a nice increase in course enrollment over the last half dozen years."

Evans says that in his first year teaching the course, 1987, there were 70 students in the class. By 1991, enrollment had risen to 150 .

The Earth and Planetary Science (EPS) department has experienced trends similar to those of the chemistry department.

"The enrollment of one of our key courses at the 100 level has doubled," says McElroy, who chairs the department, "and the number of people taking introductory courses has certainly increased."

McElroy says that recent changes in admissions are not immediately reflected in concentration membership. "It will probably take time to see [the effects]. We will have to wait until next year," he says.

McElroy suggests that students try using the Freshman Seminar program to sample the sciences while avoiding the large introductory courses.

"When you are a freshman in the Yard it is hard of find your niche," he says. "The difficulty with findings a concentration is that they often to not seem particularly accessible."

Whatever formulas faculty members and administrators try out to improve Harvard's science departments, they agree that students are the key to success.

"The important issue is, what do we do to keep students interested? McElroy says.