On the basis of the evidence gathered to date on the experience of 1,350 Early Admission Scholars in the 12 participating colleges and universities over a period of five years during which two groups of Scholars have graduated, it is now possible to make much firmer judgments about the results of the experiment—and about the wisdom of early admission in general—than was the case in the summer of 1953, when the Fund published its first preliminary report on the program.

What does the evidence add up to? What were the conclusions of the independent evaluators? How do the Scholars, their Comparison students, their parents, the schools from which they came, and the colleges to which they went, feel about the Early Admission Program in particular and the idea of early admission in general? What are the implications of the results to date for secondary and higher education as a whole?

This final chapter will attempt to answer these questions on the basis of the evidence accumulated thus far.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE SCHOLARS AND COMPARISON STUDENTS

In their senior essays, the 1951 and 1952 Scholars and Comparison students who successfully completed their undergraduate work were asked to express their judgment about the wisdom of early admission on the basis of their own experience and observations.

The Scholars were asked these questions:

In retrospect, how do you feel now about the advantages and disadvantages