Letter from Thomas Sun, New York City, to Alfred E. Stearns July 16, 1929
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Thomas Sun, New York City, to Alfred E. Stearns July 16, 1929
Subject
Letter from Thomas Sun, New York City, to Alfred E. Stearns July 16, 1929
Transcription
I received the money which you sent me yesterday, and I will assure you that that money will not he squandered.
I received a letter from my father to-day. He stated very emphatically that I should remain in this country another [year] to get a degree or "learn some profession. I took it for granted that he meant Political Science. I am glad of a chance to further my studies, and I have made plans accordingly.
Under the circumstances I will have to waste half of a year. I graduate from Middlebury at Mid-years. My original plan was to come to Columbia right at the beginning of the second semester to study for the rest of that semester and the whole of the next summer at the end of which I planned to receive my Master's degree, but unfortunately the rules at Columbia requires a year of residence in Columbia or its equivalent. That means that I can not get my master's degree at the end of the next summer session and I will have to stay here another semester in order to fulfill my one year’s residence.
I have considered Harvard where I might do my graduate work, but my opinion about that institution is not very high. I have considered Syracuse. There is a special school there called the School of Citizenship and Public Welfare. This is an unique institution. I can get a five hundred fellowship there besides my tuition, because as a rule they give that to almost everyone that attends that school. It is a school and a part of Syracuse University. It is merely a special class of five or six. But what I have against it is the name of the school. A degree from Syracuse is worth no more to me anyway than a special privilege to go to a museum, because I don't like museums. In the same way I do not like Syracuse, and I believe that a diploma or a degree from there is not a honor, but almost a disgrace. Therefore I have also discarded that idea.
Therefore the only institution left that I like is Columbia. I want to have your advise on the matter. I will have no chance to see you this summer, because I will be going up to Middlebury before you come down to Andover. But I will try to get down by Christmas time, if I do not have too much work to do.
Trusting that you will have time to give me some sound advise [sic], I remain
Sincerely yours
I received a letter from my father to-day. He stated very emphatically that I should remain in this country another [year] to get a degree or "learn some profession. I took it for granted that he meant Political Science. I am glad of a chance to further my studies, and I have made plans accordingly.
Under the circumstances I will have to waste half of a year. I graduate from Middlebury at Mid-years. My original plan was to come to Columbia right at the beginning of the second semester to study for the rest of that semester and the whole of the next summer at the end of which I planned to receive my Master's degree, but unfortunately the rules at Columbia requires a year of residence in Columbia or its equivalent. That means that I can not get my master's degree at the end of the next summer session and I will have to stay here another semester in order to fulfill my one year’s residence.
I have considered Harvard where I might do my graduate work, but my opinion about that institution is not very high. I have considered Syracuse. There is a special school there called the School of Citizenship and Public Welfare. This is an unique institution. I can get a five hundred fellowship there besides my tuition, because as a rule they give that to almost everyone that attends that school. It is a school and a part of Syracuse University. It is merely a special class of five or six. But what I have against it is the name of the school. A degree from Syracuse is worth no more to me anyway than a special privilege to go to a museum, because I don't like museums. In the same way I do not like Syracuse, and I believe that a diploma or a degree from there is not a honor, but almost a disgrace. Therefore I have also discarded that idea.
Therefore the only institution left that I like is Columbia. I want to have your advise on the matter. I will have no chance to see you this summer, because I will be going up to Middlebury before you come down to Andover. But I will try to get down by Christmas time, if I do not have too much work to do.
Trusting that you will have time to give me some sound advise [sic], I remain
Sincerely yours
Creator
Thomas Sun
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
July 16, 1929
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence