With boxes, parents, and window fans in tow, the 1,280 members of the class of 2008 arrive on-campus today for Orientation Week.
The Admissions Office received 14,728 applications for the class of 2008 last spring, setting a record for applications for admission for the fourth straight year in a row.
Twenty-seven percent of those who applied were admitted, a slight increase from the 26 percent selectivity rate for the class of 2007.
But several other indicators of the class' abilities saw dramatic improvements, most notably in SAT scores for both admitted and enrolled students. For students admitted for the class of 2007, the average total score was 1384, whereas the average for admitted students this year was 1413, according to Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin.
Last year, the average SAT score of enrolled students was 1332, which jumped up to 1368 for the class of 2008. The middle 50 percent of enrolling students scored between 1250 and 1420 on the SAT last year. This year's range was between 1290 and 1490.
"These are very impressive jumps in one year," Coffin said.
The high school class rank of enrolled students also saw a significant increase. Seventy-four percent of this year's freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class, a four percent increase since last year. There are 47 National Merit Scholars in the Class of 2008.
This year's bevy of enrolling students is geographically diverse as well, coming from 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 42 foreign countries. The most
students were enrolled from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California.
The number of international students enrolling is consistent with past years. One hundred eleven students are foreign nationals or permanent U.S. residents and 39 are American citizens who reside overseas. Together, 12 percent of the class has an international background of some kind, Coffin said.
The most international students come from Hong Kong, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Korea, and France.
Though there is no significant change in the ratio of liberal arts students versus engineering students - 1,093 of the former versus 187 of the latter - the normally female-skewed gender ratio is even, according to Coffin. "The gender ratio is exactly 50/50, which is the first time in recent memory that the class is evenly split," he said.
Some of the increases may signify what one incoming freshman described as an upsurge in interest in Tufts among high school students. "Tufts seems to have that 'hot school' appeal - every year more and more people I know apply," freshman Liz Hoffman said.
Hoffman chose Tufts for "many reasons," including its student body, campus, and proximity to the city. "And, of course, I'm really, really excited," Hoffman said.
