Mr. Gilman, the Principal of Cambridge school, kindly offered to let her sister, Mildred, study in his school. Both the sisters spent helping each other in study. Helen took her preliminary examinations for Radcliffe from the 29th of June to the 3rd July in 1897. The subjects she offered were Elementary and Advanced German, French, Latin, English and Greek and Roman history. The candidate was required to pass in sixteen hours - twelve hours being called elementary and for advanced. Helen was allotted No. 233 and she was allowed to use a typewriter alone in a room. Mr. Gilman read all the papers to her by means of the manual alphabet. She wrote out her answers on the typewriter. The papers were difficult. Mr. Gilman spelled to her what she had written so that she could make necessary changes. Later, at Radcliffe, no one read the paper to her for any correction.
