Number of students - Stirring the Pot

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51887

As long as we are on the subject, let me stir the pot a little more
and see if I can bring it to a boil. Below is one of my old theories
that is actually derived from other people's similar theories.

First, regarding the number of student in each house based on house
personalities, I still believe that is true, so what I write below
doesn't attempt to exclude or invalidate that point.

Grey Wolf and I had a brief off-line discussion that reminded me of
one of my old and favorite theories. I think it is the one that comes
close to explaining all possible holes in the student count issue.
While I do hold to this theory, I don't limit it, it has the potential
to combine other theories with it; such as the house distribution by
personality theory.

*- Cut from an email - *
You may not recall but the School of Wizards/School of Magic
multi-campus theory was mine. Just the other night I was on the
internet and came across another reference that re-enforce that
theory. In some schools in the UK, 6th and 7th form are refered to as
'college', as in '6th form college'. So the 5th/6th year is a clear
break point in the UK educational system. I suspect many people get
the UK equivalent of O.W.L.s and go striaght out to find a job and
start making money. Others, many of whom intent to go to the
university, go on to attend 6th/7th Form College.

So the idea that that there are working class schools of magic that
end after the 5th year is not that far fetched. And, that makes
Hogwarts unique in that it is the only school to offer both secondary
school and college. It is the Howarts School & College of Witchcraft
and Wizardry which is the primier campus, while the lesser schools
(Hogwarts School of Magic or London School of Magic, ...) are located
in other places. That makes it possible for Hogwart's castle to be the
only school of it's kind in the UK (as JKR said) while still allowing
for the possiblity of other magic schools. 

--New------------------
I don't accept the 280 count for students in Hogwart's castle. That's
just too few; that's a tiny school. But I could speculate that in the
beginning ALL student went to Hogwart's castle (that's why it's big),
but as time worn on and the modern more complex age came upon us, it
became obvious that there was a greater need for working class magic
schools, and a lesser need for advanced magic schools. So working
class campuses where set up in (illustration) Liverpool, Birmingham,
and London, and Hogwart became the advanced school or College of
Witchcraft and Wizradry. Even if the other three campuses only have
100 student each, which is extremely small, that would still be enough
to raise the head count of the Hogwart's School System to something
close to 1,000 while allowing the student count at Hogwart's castle to
be something more realistic. 

So 400 at the castle (illustration) and 100 each at the three Magic
Schools equals 700 total. It helps resolve the impossible teachers
schedule at the Castle and still bring the total close to 1,000. It
could even account for the additional people at the Quidditch match
and Yule Ball. 

Not perfect, but it's the best I've got.
--------------------------
--Calculations------------
I know I said calculations are pointless, but let's do it just for the
illustration and see how it comes out.

ASSUMPTIONS-
- 400 students in the castle
- 8 per year Gryffindor (8 * 7 = 56)
- 10 per year Slytherin (10 * 7 = 70)
- Gryf + Slyth = 126
- (School - (Gryf + Slyth)) = (400 - 126 = 274)
- 274 = Huff + Rav (274 / 2 = 137 per house)
- (Per House)/7 = (per year) = (137/7= approx 20)
- 20 students per year in Hufflepuff and Ravelclaw
- Classes could be paired by houses (10H/10R, 10R/10S, 10S/8G, etc)
and have a standard class size of about 20 and still not have too many
class sessions.

I'm not going to bother with calculating teacher's schedules because I
start out knowing the every theory is flawed and that none of them
will ever come out right. But this theory does answer a lot of the
questions surrounding this issue. I still personally believe that
there are more in the castle, but that's my impression from reading,
not from analysis.
----------------------

--back to email--------
Independant of this theory, I still think, based on house personality,
that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are larger. Not many people have the
consuming ambition of a Slytherin. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw will go
on in life and achieve many great things and be very successfull; they
do have ambition, but not like Slytherins. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws
seem like very decent people who are generally not afraid, but they
don't have the same kind of courage and idealism that Gryffindor's
have.  Conclusion, I see Slytherin and Gryffindor having fewer people.


[regarding Grey Wolf's previous post] ... Your analysis of potions
class is right on. It shows that the [previous] theory is flawed. But
that doesn't invalidate the concept, and again, we start out knowing
that all concepts are going to be flawed.

As a side note: 
I also have a theory that there are Wizard Universities. They just
don't have campuses, classrooms, or even names. It's all done by
independant study, personal experience, and research. The research or
practical experience is submitted to academic review commitees either
as published papers, oral exams, or practical exams, then the commitee
decide if it merits the award of a 'professorship' or the title of
'Doctor' of Wizardry. Of course, I made all this up, but it's still a
reasonable theory. In the ...er... in my wizard world a 'Professor' is
the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree and a 'Doctor' is the equivalent
of a 'Masters'. [Can't decide if there is a PHD or not. Still working
out the details.] ...short edit...

That's how Lupin became a Professor while spend most of his life as an
outcast. He didn't need to sit in a classroom. He just needed to study
and practice, and submit is papers to the commitee.

Just thought I would throw that into the fire and see if it burns.

bboy_mn