Hardy Ehlers, a 4.0-plus student, National Merit Scholar, and top-ranked tennis player from San Diego, was still debating which college to attend weeks after many of his classmates had made their choices. The day before the acceptance deadline, he called Emory tennis coach John Browning to let him know he would be coming to Emory.

“It came down to Emory or Brown University, and it just made more sense to come to Emory,” Ehlers says.

Ehlers was playing in a national tennis tournament in the summer of 2003 when Browning spotted him and began talking to him about Emory. At Browning’s suggestion, Ehlers applied for and received a Woodruff scholarship. “That was a huge factor,” Ehlers says. “I thought it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Although Ehlers could have played tennis for an NCAA Division I school such as Brown, he says he’s confident he made the right decision to come to Emory, one of the best Division III institutions in the country.

“That was one of the choices I had to make,” he says. “But Emory has a really good team. When I was imagining myself at college, I knew Emory would be the better choice for me. It just felt right.”

The choice also felt right for incoming freshman Ryan Powell (left), who applied only to Emory. His mother, Doris Powell, is a senior research specialist in the School of Medicine, and his sister Kimberly is a rising senior in the College. His grandfather and an uncle also attended Emory.

But Powell plans to find his own niche here, most likely in the music department. His tuba playing earned him a music scholarship to Emory, which he passed up because his mom’s employment makes him eligible for a courtesy scholarship that covers tuition. After visiting a number of colleges all over the East Coast, Powell applied to Emory and was admitted early decision, meaning the University was his first and, in his case, only choice.

“One of the biggest changes in admissions during my tenure here has been Emory’s move from a college choice ‘among many’ to more of a ‘first or top choice’ school,” says Daniel Walls, dean of admission. “I think this is reflected in our early decision numbers. Over the past few years our early decision percentage in the freshman class has been approximately 33 percent.”

As a student at Collins Hill High School near Lawrenceville, Ga., Powell excelled in his studies and earned Governor’s Honors in advanced placement classes. He also led the tuba section in the school band and participated in the Emory-based Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble, where he got to know Emory’s Scott Stewart, lecturer and director of instrumental studies in the music department. Stewart was instrumental in his decision to come to Emory.

“Ryan is a skilled and artistic player, as well as a mature young man,” Stewart says. “He is bright and ambitious, and someone who I feel will be a natural leader in the music program. Fine tubists are always assets. They are a rare breed, and vital to the success of instrumental ensembles.”

Although Powell isn’t sure just what he wants to do after college, he plans to stay involved with music, and also is considering business school.

“Mostly I’m just looking forward to getting involved in all sorts of different things and getting to experience stuff I’ve never had a chance to be around,” he says. “Emory offers so much more than anything at my high school.”

“By all statistical measures this entering class is among the strongest in history,” says Walls. “Beyond that, I have been very impressed with the vast array of time commitments outside the classroom that the class of 2008 represents. We will again enroll students with an array of skills and abilities, including leadership, performing arts, debate, athletics, and volunteer service. I also see tremendous diversity in this class, in terms of ethnicity, geography, economic background and academic interests.”–P.P.P.