While this year's freshman class does not hold the record for the highest average SAT scores or the most students in the top 10 percent of their class, the Class of 2003 is still exceptional.
For example, one especially surprising anomaly in this year's freshman class statistics is that it is the most diverse in College history. The overall minority enrollment is the highest in the College's history. Excepting Asian Americans -- whose enrollment is greater than last year -- the enrollments of each minority group are the highest they have ever been. Asian American enrollment jumped from last year's 8.4 percent to 11 percent. This year, 71 African-Americans enrolled (6.7 percent of the Class of 2003) -- a 1.5 percent gain over last year and the highest in the previous four years. Latino students will make up 7.2 percent of the incoming class.
"What is most exciting is that this class offers the prospect of changing the Dartmouth community because of its diversity and expectation of a different social and residential life," Furstenberg wrote in his notes from a May faculty meeting. "While the profile is strong, the mix of backgrounds and attitudes will add new dimensions."
Furstenberg also wrote that he thought the Trustees' announcement of the Social and Residential Life Initiative helped make this year's freshman class more diverse.
Based on statistics current as of July 12, the incoming class has 1,063 students -- 546 males and 517 females. This distribution (48.6 percent females) is approximately average based on the data available from the four previous classes.
Assistant to the Dean of Admissions Rose Murphy said the number of students expected to enroll usually drops by the time of matriculation. According to Murphy, the Admissions Office expects the final total of students to be approximately 1,050.
"Some people choose to defer for a year -- for an illness or for some type of family issue," she said. "Sometimes, we lose some when other schools go to their wait list."
Based on statistics from a faculty meeting in May, of this year's enrolled students, 33 percent are involved in community service, 32 percent have strong musical interests, 17 percent are recruited athletes and 12 percent were editors of a high-school publication.
In addition to this typical distribution of interests, several students own a pilot's license, one attainted the title of Ms. Teen Washington, one designs board games, one serves as a member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team and one is a homesteader from Alaska.
This year's yielded enrollment of 49.9 percent of the total accepted, while not as high as last year's 50.6 percent, is the second best as compared to the past four years. While last year the Admissions Office did not find it necessary to admit any students on the waiting list, Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg made the decision to admit 13 students from the list this year.
Of this year's freshmen, 28 percent were their high school's valedictorian (the highest percentage as compared to the previous 4 years), 10.4 percent were salutatorians, and 86.6 percent finished in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
In addition, the mean Scholastic Achievement Test Math score was 713 (down 2 points from last year), and the mean SAT Verbal score was 712 (the highest as compared to the previous four years). While more than 45 percent of the class stated their interest in majoring in a science, this is the second lowest percentage as compared to the previous four years.
Finally, of the 1,063 class members, 341 (32.1 percent) went to private preparatory schools and 58 (5.5 percent) attended parochial schools. The percentage of legacies that enrolled this year is 7.7 percent, as opposed to last year's 8.4 percent.
But by the time the Class of 2003 arrives, everyone will have forgotten their statistics. It will become obvious that apart from the numbers, every incoming freshman is exceptional in his or her unique way. And as tradition dictates, the self-congratulatory rumors stating that the Class of 2003 is "the smartest and best class ever" will continue to abound during matriculation, whether or not the statement is true and the newest class to join the College communtity is certain to show itself off to the world.
