By Tim MacPhail
Old Gold and Black Reporter
While the Class of 1998 is preparing for its last final exams before graduation, the office of admissions is busily piecing together the Class of 2002. The office has granted admission to 2,798 applicants who are expected to make up a freshman class of about 975 next fall.
The office of admissions received 6,370 applications, which was a six percent decrease from the more than 6,800 applications received last year and the first decline in recent years.
According to Martha Allman, an associate director of admissions, the Class of 2002 is expected to be the same size as the current freshman class, the largest in recent memory.
The academic credentials for this year's admitted students were in line with recent classes, Allman said.
The median SAT score for accepted students is about 1340, and the median score for students expected to enroll is likely to fall to around 1300.
Accepted students came from every state except Alaska. There was a significant decrease in female applicants from last year, but an equal amount of males and females were accepted. Twelve percent of those admitted were minority students.
Allman attributed the decrease in applicants partly to a national trend of more and more students using the early-decision method of application.
"More students are locking up where they're going to school earlier," she said. Instead of applying to several schools, these students are applying early to only their first-choice school.
Allman said 217 applicants who applied under the university's early decision plan have decided to enroll. Students who applied under the regular decision schedule have until May 1 to declare their enrollment.
To help admitted students learn more about the university, the office of admissions has offered an internet chat line, on which accepted students may ask questions of current students about their experiences.
Allman said prospective college students and their parents are more discerning customers than they were a few years ago. "More students are taking the whole quest to find the right college more seriously," she said.
While applications were down, interest in the university in the form of campus visits and information requests increased. Allman accounted for this by the amount of information now available online and through e-mail. "Information is just more accessible (today)," she said.
College rankings, such as those published annually in U.S. News and World Report, also are a factor in the level of applications, she said. "Students do note that (and) are attuned to it," she said.
"Parents are interested in what they're getting for their tuition dollar," Allman said.
Prospective students have been especially intrigued by the addition of a new study-abroad house in Vienna and the Plan for the Class of 2000. "There is a lot of excitement about the technology plan," Allman said.
For next year's application process, the office of admissions is working on an application that students will be able to complete through the internet. "We plan to have an online application available by late fall," she said.
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