1965
Fifty years ago in 1965, students at the University of Detroit were much like the students on campus today … well, mostly. There were a few things different back then. Imagining the average student in those days compared with students today is likely to conjure immediate visions of lack: no technology, no polar fleece, and no backpacks.
One thing students in 1965 did have in common with students today is registration. The difference here is not one of lack but of abundance in terms of time, convenience, and assistance. These days access to online registration helps new students negotiate what was once a tedious manual enrollment process. A prospective student now can peruse the detailed offering of programs all online. (That’s where the technology comes in.)
In 1965, a prospective student found this type of information through written correspondence, course catalogs, and visits to campus. Registration in those days was a commitment of time, energy, and logic with negotiating the labyrinth of hallway tables seemingly designed to offer a challenge to critical thinking skills. It was accomplished, but not without some complaint.
Shown here is a page from the 1965 Summer Session Bulletin for U of D. The instructions on this page offer a bit of insight into the registration process of students back then. It’s a whole lot easier now and a whole lot friendlier. Now that we have backpacks and polar fleece, however, maybe a trip to campus for in-person registration is not such a bad idea.
Want to see more pages like this one? Check out our Course Catalogs and Bulletins Digital Archive!
University of Detroit Summer Session Course Catalog, 1965.
