| Emory Report | August 4, 1997 |
Volume 49, No. 36 |
A quarter of the class of 2001, arriving on campus later this month, decided that Emory was their first and only choice of college. The number of high school seniors applying through early decision was up 10 percent from last year and, as of mid-July, 312 early decision applicants made up the class, which is tentatively 1,203 strong.
"Early decision is becoming a very popular option," said Dean of Admission Dan Walls. "Many families are looking for strategies to gain admission to selective schools." But while common wisdom among prospective students and their parents may hold that selection committees go easier on early decision applicants, that's usually not the case, said Walls. "The statistics for early decision students are very close to those of the overall class," he said. For committee members, the appeal of these applicants is their singlemindness about Emory. They're saying, "not only am I an exceptional student, but I want Emory as my first choice," said Walls. "It's compelling information" for admission officers.
The class of 2001 is "exceptional in terms of quality," said Walls, "but in many respects compares favorably to last year's entering class." Almost 9,800 students applied for admission to the class, with 4,640 admitted. Their geographic profile remained fairly consistent, with 44 percent coming from the Southeast and 18 percent from Georgia. The next largest group, 25 percent, hails from the Middle Atlantic states. Every region of the United States is represented.
The number of international students enrolling rose 100 percent from 10 last year to 20 this year. International describes students who are foreign citizens, explained Walls. "We have a number of permanent residents, but they're not considered 'international' for Emory's purposes."
Admission officers are hoping to take those numbers even higher. "We are exploring international recruiting initiatives within the next year or two," said Walls. While he has no firm proof, Walls thinks that a number of international families, who came to Atlanta for last year's Olympic Games, made a planned visit to Emory and were favorably impressed.
The percentage of minority student enrollments stayed the same as last year at 26 percent. But the racial composition of the class has changed, with the number of Asian American students jumping 17 percent, while African American enrollments declined 18 percent. Five fewer Hispanic students will be in the entering class and the number of Native American freshmen rose from two to three.
The SAT average of the entering class rose slightly to 1314 from last year's 1305, and their average GPA was 3.6. One potentially interesting aspect of the class is that it may be split equally by gender. That would be a first for his tenure, Walls said, usually entering classes look similar to last year's, which was 55 percent female.
These enrollment statistics are not final, Walls cautioned, and won't be until closer to the end of August.
News for other schools equally bright
The business school's yield is typically 125, said Julie Barefoot, assistant
dean of admissions, but this year's entering class may hold 140 to 150 students.
"It's an excellent class," she said. "We pride ourselves
on having a diverse class." The Goizueta Business School class of 1999
has an average GMAT score of 630, up from last year's 626. Their GPA kept
pace with last year's at 3.3. They've worked an average of 4.7 years before
entering graduate school and have had significant internships, said Barefoot.
The class will be 24 to 25 percent international, she said, and "if
everything works, we should have our first Fulbright from Ethiopia."
Barefoot thinks the creation of student advisory groups in the wake of some bad press from disgruntled alumni helped tremendously in the school's recruiting efforts. "The students were extra helpful in recruiting," she said. "It played out well in the admissions process. It was a good year for us."
This is the last year that prospective nursing applicants can take the MAT for admission to graduate school, said Admissions Director B.J. Amini. Beginning next year, only the GRE will be allowed. This year's graduate MSN class looks strong and diverse. Sixty-seven percent of the entering class for master's degrees only (there's also a dual RN/MSN degree) had GPAs of 3.49 or better, with an average of 3.19. Minorities represent almost 15 percent of the class and the majority of the class (67 percent) hails from Georgia. Overwhelmingly female, the median age for its members is 33.
An average eight years younger than the master's degree class, the entering undergraduate nursing class stands at 55 members at last count. Sixty-five percent of those accepted have enrolled. The class has an average GPA of 3.3 and minority enrollment is 24 percent. Almost 97 percent female, 67 percent of its members are from Georgia.
Oxford College admitted 661 students to its entering class and expects an enrollment of about 300 students, said Ginny Taylor of Admissions.
The class has about 36 percent minority enrollment and about 2 percent of its ranks come from overseas. Their average SAT score is 1165 and their median GPA is 3.43. There are 34 Oxford Scholars in the class out of 204 applicants.
The planned class size reduction will culminate in fewer law students on the Emory campus at the turn of the century, but the class set to graduate in 2000 "looks very similar to last year's class," said Lynell Cadray, the law school's assistant dean for admission. The class is equally split in terms of gender and of the 2,911 who applied, 1,049 were accepted and 205 are expected to enroll. Their median LSAT score is 161 and the average GPA is 3.47. The class profile is fairly consistent to last year's in terms of geographic distribution, but has a slightly higher minority enrollment overall.
Figures for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health and the Candler School were unavailable as Emory Report went to press.
-Stacey Jones
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