An administration concerned about the veterans' family responsibilities and long absences from formal education predicted "a greatly increased number of withdrawals and a higher proportion of low records" with the class of 1946, but found none.

The veterans took advantage of the opportunity Harvard and the G.I. Bill granted to them. The Harvard education, previously barred to many veterans because of economic and social conditions, now was open to them. They had no plans to have their "connection severed" from the University and so worked far harder than anyone foresaw.

The number of forced withdrawal for academic reasons dropped to 2.2 percent from its pre-war averages around 6 percent. Despite their disrupted educations and competition with students from the nation's best preparatory schools, veterans' average marks were as high as those of civilians.

"Our veterans are easily the most experienced, most mature, most serious and hardworking group of students that Harvard has ever seen," said Dean of the College William J. Bender.

The academic success came at a cost-the sacrifice of usual undergraduate revelry.

The seriousness of the returning soldiers coupled with their family obligations took them away from the normal social circles at Harvard. The administration encouraged the veterans to relax, and not without a certain wistfulness, noted a falloff in fun.

"There has been less than the usual amount of disorder and disciplinary problems have been relatively few," said Conant

Intimate Academics?