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MEADVILLE, Pa., May 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Allegheny College will welcome a larger class of first-year students next fall than in any year in more than two decades. Further, the record-breaking class is as academically strong as ever.
Figures released today show that 676 students made tuition deposits to Allegheny College before the May 1 deadline, a 40 percent increase over last year.
"In all honesty," says Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment, "we were taken by surprise by the numbers."
College officials knew they were in for a year like no other when application numbers shattered the records. Many wondered if the apparent ease of completing electronic applications (electronic applications were up over 100 percent from the prior year) would bring in applications from less-serious candidates for admission. Apparently, just the opposite was true as deposits from students who applied electronically shot up over 150 percent.
"In the weeks preceding the deposit deadline, it became obvious that the interest students and their families were showing during the college search was far more than just window-shopping--they were really doing their homework," said Friedhoff.
In fact, in order to accommodate increased demand for information about Allegheny College, the College had to double the number of campus visit programs.
"Because the college selection decision is a significant financial investment and a critical element of future career success, parents and students were determined to know everything and left no stone unturned in their search for specific answers," says Friedhoff. "Parents asked questions such as whether their student could get personalized music training, even if they wanted to be in a pre-med program, or whether Allegheny had an equestrian club for their future politician."
After examining this year's numbers carefully, Friedhoff says that the biggest trend he can observe is the correlation between more information and passionate decision-making. When students got a good look at Allegheny College, they recognized it as a very good fit for their particular needs. More students learned more about Allegheny.
In the 18 months since he joined Allegheny College, the most striking similarity Friedhoff has observed in the characteristics of students who seem to excel at Allegheny is the unusual combination of interests they possess, and that's exactly the message he's been sharing with new prospects.
"Allegheny is an excellent choice for individuals who want to discover new interests, or who have already discovered that they want to grow in multiple areas," says Friedhoff. "Rigorous pursuit of unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents is the essence of the Allegheny experience, and parents and students increasingly seem to recognize the long-term value of this approach to education."
Although Allegheny College is well-known as the nation's 32nd oldest college, a nationally recognized, residential college of liberal arts and sciences, this year the Admissions team made a special effort to communicate the fact that the College takes very seriously its mission to prepare young adults "to meet challenges in a diverse, interconnected world."
"We provide students with a well-rounded, academically challenging education--one that provides opportunity for superb interactive instruction by top faculty and hands-on learning experiences outside the classroom--while encouraging students to pursue their own unique combination of interests, skills and talents," says Friedhoff.
Judging from this year's numbers, apparently it's exactly the kind of education 676 new students are seeking.
"Because class size is larger than expected, we are actually hoping to see the typical summer adjustment to the May numbers. Generally, a few dozen of the students who deposit by May 1 will make alternative plans during the summer--and this happens at all colleges," says Friedhoff.
"Some students decide that the college is too far away from (or too close to) home, some discover different interests and some simply change their mind. At this point we would expect a new student class of between 620 and 650."
CONTACT FORMATION
Barb Steadman, Office of Public Affairs, Allegheny CollegeOffice 814-332-6755, Cell 814-397-9959
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