Incoming freshmen claim larger class size

By Emily Entress

According to the preliminary statistics for the incoming class of 2014, Santa Clara students continue to improve in quantity and quality.

With the May 1 deadline for applicants having recently passed, the numbers are in and an unprecedented number of students have applied and enrolled at Santa Clara.

"There are a greater number of applications for freshmen admission... We accepted a few more this year, and deposits are up. Definitely overall I would say up, up, up," said Dean of Admissions Sandra Hayes.

Looking at the numbers, this trend is easily apparent: the Admissions Office received 11,796 freshmen applications this year, a 15 percent increase compared to last year. This year 6,800 students were admitted, compared to the 6,057 admitted students last year.

What's most impressive, however, is the 40 percent increase in the number of students who actually enrolled and deposited tuition by May 1; this year the number enrolled was 1,361 students, whereas only 974 deposits were received by this time last year.

Hayes cautioned that these numbers are only preliminary, saying, "We know that we won't have firm numbers until September." The Admissions Office is still waiting for mail-in deposits, and anticipating that approximately 30-50 students will fluctuate in their decisions over the summer months.

There are many reasons behind this upward trend in applicants. First of all, Santa Clara is becoming more prominent throughout the United States as its national recognition continues to increase.

"Now I go to the D.C. area, as an example, and inevitably students will say 'Oh, Santa Clara, I know that school! It's a great school!' That tells me our reach is broader," said Hayes.

Another indicator of the broader reach of Santa Clara's reputation is the increase in on-campus visits by prospective students.

Although there was a slight decrease in visits in 2009, the number of prospective student visits to campus this year is higher than ever.

Proof of this was seen during the Admitted Students Preview Days in April.

"It was the largest group of families and students we've ever had visit," said Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jarrid Whitney.

The number of engineering applicants has also increased. In the preliminary statistics for the application pool for this year, 22 percent of incoming students are applying directly to the School of Engineering, an increase from the usual 15 percent.

One of the causes of the increase in engineering applicants may be the program's recent national exposure over its 3rd place finish in the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition.

"I think it's a really great program, but it did not hurt to have national exposure. Even students who didn't know about Santa Clara were reading about the Solar Decathlon," said Hayes.

The upward trend could also be the result of an increased effort in the Admissions Office to use the internet as a means of connecting with prospective students.

Diane Barrera, the Web Communication Manager for Undergraduate Admissions, admits that the main focus is to make sure that Santa Clara is on a lot of people's radars.

"We push a lot of content out and drive people to the Web," she said.

The Web is not only useful for attracting students, however. It also doubles as a platform for the Admissions Office to monitor and assess why accepted students have chosen to attend Santa Clara.

Facebook is one of the sites most monitored in this capacity. One of the main attractions of Santa Clara mentioned by incoming students is the welcoming community they have found.

"Ultimately, students make an institution," affirms Hayes. "I don't care if it's Yale, if it's Stanford, if it's Santa Clara. It's about the students that are there. They make the community."

At Santa Clara, it looks as if the community will continue to be enhanced by the incoming students, the class of 2014.

Contact Emily Entress at eentress@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546.