Vol. 17, No. 1	Sept. 4, 1997

Get to know members of the Class of 2001

With ages ranging from 16 to 60 plus, 3,259 freshmen, who will be the first UD graduates of the 21st century, and 627 transfer students will attend classes in Newark this fall.

According to the Office of Admissions, the UD's overall applicant pool of freshmen and transfer students numbered 16,826, the largest in the decade. Of these, 752 freshmen and 517 transfer students, totaling 1,269, applied over the World Wide Web, which was available for the second year. From web applicants, 124 of these students are in the freshman class and 105 are new transfer students. In all, 11,403 students were offered admission this year.

"The goal in recruitment this year was quality over quantity," said Frederic A. Siegel, associate provost for enrollment services. "The staff in admissions and financial aid under the leadership of John Cavanaugh, who served as interim vice provost, did an excellent job in recruiting well-qualified students. By every statistical measurement and indication-the number of National Merit recognized students, SAT scores, the number of valedictorians and salutatorians and those students with 4.0 averages-this class has the best collective qualifications of any class to enter UD.

"The number of students enrolled in the University Honors Program also has risen significantly-over 17 percent. These are the students who are sought after nationally, and it is noteworthy that they have chosen the University of Delaware."

In terms of academic achievement in the freshman class, there are 139 National Merit, Achievement and Hispanic Scholars finalists, semifinalists and commended students-up from 114 last year. There are 76 valedictorians and salutatorians, as compared to 73 in 1996, and 183 students have 4.0 high school grade point averages, the highest in this decade. Freshman SAT scores also are higher-1136 compared to 1131 last year-and well above the national average, Siegel said.

The number of students enrolled in the University Honors Program increased to 445 as compared to 378 last year. The average SAT score for this group is 1334. compared to 1330 last year, and they have an average high school G.P.A. of 3.80, compared to 3.77 in 1996. Of these honor students, 397 had a grade point average of more than 3.5.

In terms of ethnic diversity, 226 new students are African Americans; 107 are Hispanic; 82 are Asian and 14 are American Indians. Among the new arrivals are 45 international students coming to Delaware from 19 countries, compared to 35 last fall. This year's foreign students include 12 from Japan, five from India, four from South Korea and two from South Africa. Other countries represented include the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Burma, Canada, China, Columbia, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Poland, Nigeria, Liberia, Turkey, Uganda and Guyana.

Students come from all over the United States, but most are from the East Coast. Numbers of Delaware students have risen to 1,196, from 1,108 in 1996, and 1,071 in 1995. New Jersey ranks second with 583 students; followed by Pennsylvania with 557, New York with 426, Maryland with 244, Connecticut with 98, Massachusetts 43 and Virginia with 36.

The top 10 high schools of the Class of 2001 are all in New Castle County. St. Mark's leads again with 120 graduates enrolled in the Class of 2001. Other high schools are Christiana (74), Glasgow (64), Salesianum (63), Newark (62), Brandywine (59), William Penn (56), Concord (55), A. I. du Pont (45) and Mt. Pleasant (43).

Of the incoming freshmen, 49 percent were involved in volunteer work or service, and 49 percent are interested in continuing these kinds of activities. Other outside interests included working on the school newspaper or yearbook (26 percent), music (22 percent), and drama (11 percent), while 24 percent have expressed interest in academic clubs, 30 percent in social clubs and 20 percent in student government.

For the fifth year in a row, Michael (102) and Jennifer (115) are the most popular first names. On March 23, 20 students will share a birthday; 17 will celebrate birthdays Feb. 19 and Aug. 23, and 16 have birthdays on March 27, Aug. 6 and Nov. 1. The least common date of birth, for two students, is Jan. 5. There are 12 sets of twins. The oldest freshman is 25, and there are six new students over 60.

Statistics about the incoming students are subject to a slight change as the academic year gets under way. Official enrollment figures will be available in October.

-Sue Swyers Moncure