Creator of the UCB Extension Fall Freshman Program Dies

Official UC Berkeley Press Release

While Linda Hahn’s death is unfortunate, it does warrant a review of the Fall Freshman Program. The Fall Freshman Program, for those of you who are unaware, is a program that is run by the UC Berkeley Extension Offices and based out of the American Baptist Seminary West at Dwight and Hillegass. It allows a few hundred students with deferred spring admission to take college-level classes at Berkeley. These classes are generally smaller than courses on the main campus, and are taught by professors from Berkeley and other area schools (Cal State Hayward and UCSF, among others). Students at the Fall Freshman Program get all of the same benefits as other Berkeley students with a similar tuition, though they are not guaranteed housing.

As far as can be seen, the biggest problem with the current status of the Fall Freshman Program is its current marketing to the public. As is, the FFP is seen as a consolation prize to Berkeley admission. This status is undeserved, as most students in the program do not seem to be the bottom of the bucket, as far as quality goes. The average GPA of students who go through the FFP is higher than the all-campus average. And, a rising amount of student leaders in the Greek system, IFC, and other campus organizations started their Berkeley years in the FFP.

So, the question is, can this kind of success, both inside and outside the classroom, be duplicated on the main campus at Berkeley? It is not as if the program is an entirely new idea. Duke University has had a similar program for years, separating its first-year students from the rest of the student population. Shuttles link the two campuses (about a mile apart), and the intermingling of the groups is allowed but limited. However, it seems like a shortage of both space and financial resources would prohibit a similar program at Berkeley. The FFP could be expanded, since it only occupies part of the American Baptist Seminary West. This would allow more students into Berkeley, let alone the FFP.

Another possible option is to turn the FFP into a secondary school to be applied to by all newly admitted students, making it an ultra-selective section of Berkeley. These gifted students would have the advantage of a special program to bridge the gap between high school and the main campus, breeding them to be the new leaders on campus. But, would the cost of the bureaucracy and administration of such a program be prohibitive? Probably. It’s just nice to think of a quasi-secretive elitist academy on campus.
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