Freshmen are raising the bar on admissions

By Hilary Tone

In reaction to an increase in high-profile students applying to Santa Clara, the school is stepping up its admission standards and lowering the acceptance rate.

According to Charles Nolan, vice provost for enrollment management, the percentage of students accepted for the class of 2007 was 66 percent. For the class of 2009, that number will drop to about 53 percent.

While high school students who took advanced classes once rose to the top of Santa Clara's list of potential acceptances, now Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses on applications are common.

According to Sandra Hayes, dean of undergraduate admissions, more accepted students have multiple advanced classes on their records, at least three or four in many cases.

Because applicants' profiles seem to improve each year, admission evaluation has become more stringent in order to effectively select the incoming classes, Hayes said.

At Santa Clara, the number of undergraduate applicants has doubled in the past five years.

"It's really a sign of the times," Nolan said. "Santa Clara has become quite popular, and outside the region as well."

This year's applicant pool is significantly stronger academically, Nolan said, further proving why admissions' standards for acceptance are becoming much stricter.

"Just APs don't guarantee admission," Hayes said.

With the increasing number of applicants and high-profile resumes, the admissions staff looks for students who not only show demanding course work, but have proven that they can devote themselves to other activities besides academics.

"We want students who have shown that they can commit themselves to something that will benefit the Santa Clara community," Nolan said.

According to Hayes, students who have opted to take the more difficult courses in high school tend to be more engaged in other activities.

Such excellence is reflected in each new freshman class. The average high school grade point average for the class of 2008 is 3.6, and Hayes expects that number to persist.

Carol Lamoreaux, the university registrar, said that more students are passing AP and IB exams with the necessary scores to receive equivalent credit at Santa Clara. She also found that the majority of students receive one or two courses of equivalent credit.

Courses that students frequently receive AP credit for are Math 11 and 12, the third writing requirement, and foreign language and literature exams that fulfill Santa Clara's foreign language requirement, Lamoreaux said.

"We are seeing a trend in students bringing in more AP courses and submitting their scores on the exams," Lamoreaux said. "It might be because higher tuition motivates students to bring in more AP credits. They also might see it as an opportunity for a lighter load, to take other classes, or possible graduate early."

Admissions expects the number of applicants each year to continue increasing with the elaborate profiles and multiple advanced courses.

The admissions office said it had an applicant pool of 8,700 undergraduates for the class of 2009, compared to a pool of about 5,800 applicants just four years ago.

"It takes a stronger profile to be admitted, even over last year, and it includes rigorous course work as a fundamental," Nolan said. "The headline for this article should read, 'Be Glad You Got in Now.' "