In less than a month, Harvard first-years are required to declare a concentration. On May 4, as the class of 2001 makes the trek to 20 Garden St. to file Plans of Study, many students may be wondering if they have made the right decision.

Students at other universities often do not declare their major until the end of the sophomore year.

Katherine A. Murphy '01 says she has had difficulty selecting her concentration, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the number of options.

"When I came to Harvard, I had one or two [concentrations] in mind. Now, the possibilities seem limitless," she says. Murphy says she believes that having to declare her concentration in her first year has made the process more difficult.

"There doesn't seem to have been enough time. It seemed very quick--and I still have five concentrations to choose from," she says.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans says in an e-mail message that students find choosing a concentration to be a challenge regardless of when that decision is made.

"The choice is...always difficult and in a very real sense, no student ever has `all' of the information he or she might ideally wish for," she says. "Interestingly, one hears the same concerns from students whose universities require them to make a major or concentration choice by the end of the sophomore year."

Dean of Undergraduate Education William M. Todd III defends the College's policy of requiring concentration decisions by the end of the first year. Harvard's unique tutorial program necessitates a relatively early commitment to an academic department, he says.

"The tutorial system at Harvard is a truly wonderful resource. But, it means that students need to start soon. If not, they lose a year," he says.

According to Todd, sophomore tutorials in thevarious concentrations are a "valuable means ofgaining exposure to the traditions, methods andapproaches of the disciplines."

Nathans concurs with Todd and says she believesthat early involvement in tutorials providesextraordinary academic benefits to students.

"One of the greatest strengths of Harvard'scurriculum is the opportunity it offers theCollege's students to prepare for genuinelysignificant, advanced work by the finalundergraduate year," she says.

But students are not as certain that thebenefits outweigh the costs. Many express theconcern that expecting first-year students tocommit to a concentration after only limitedexposure to the department is unwise.

Carey E. Schwaber '01, who selected English asher concentration, says she made her decisionafter taking only one English department course.

"I spoke with my TF a lot about concentrating[teaching fellow (TF)] and it was helpful. But Idon't know if one TF is really enough," she says.

With only a year in which to focus theirinterests, students are faced with the difficultprospect of gathering enough information abouttheir prospective concentrations before signingon.