One of them played at President Barack Obama’s inaugural ball. Another is the world’s top ballroom dance champion. One is fluent in eight different languages.
These are just three of the thousands of students admitted to Boston University’s Class of 2014, what Executive Director of Admissions Kelly Walter is calling one of the strongest, most impressive classes in university history.
“We’re really proud of this class,” Walter said. “The experiences they’ve had before they even hit college are pretty spectacular.”
According to Walter, applications to the Class of 2014 were the highest in university history, tallying 38,250. The previous record was set last year with 36,768 applicants.
This year, BU admitted approximately half of its applicants.
“We set targets for each program,” Walter said. “It depends on the school. For some we might admit one in ten, but for others we’d admit one in two.”
However, according to Walter, the average BU applicant applied to 10 to 12 colleges &- after all have made their college decisions, the size of the Class of 2014 is projected at about 4,100 students.
“I think the process of students and families go through in making decisions about college has shifted in the past year and a half,” she said. “Students are still interested in applying to the best colleges they can. They want to have options.”
Walter said that the recession did not affect applications. Instead, the number of applications increased to create the most diverse admitted class yet.
“The ethnic pool has increased exponentially,” she said. “International applications have also increased by 16 percent, and admitted students hail from 115 different countries.”
The Class of 2014 is also one of the brightest groups admitted, she said.
“It’s an impressive group of students,” Walter said. “They rank on average the top 11 percent of their class, and the average student has an A- academic record in high school.”
The admissions office takes a holistic approach to reviewing its applications, she said, and admitted students say this is one reason they wish to come to BU.
Thea Di Giammerino, a prospective College of Communication freshman, said working with the admissions staff helped move BU to the top of her list.
“I liked that BU wanted another essay on top of the common app topic,” she said. “I thought it was a second chance to showcase myself.”
Karlan Baumann, also a prospective COM freshman, said despite BU having a more challenging application process, it’s necessary for properly assessing its applicants.
“I’m glad BU gave me a chance to showcase my abilities in other fields, abilities that are not properly displayed on a transcript or through standardized testing,” he said.
Caraline Gargiulo, a prospective Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences freshman, agreed that BU’s application process allowed admissions counselors to really know its applicants.
“I think that the biggest thing that helped me get into BU was just being myself,” she said. “I was completely honest in all of my essays and I think that the admissions counselors really got to see who I was.”
Many of the admitted students exhibited extensive involvement in their schools and communities &- a factor that remains very important in admissions decisions.
Courtney Licata, a prospective School of Education freshman, said she thinks her dedication to extracurricular activities elevated above other applicants.
“What I’ve done shows commitment to the things I do,” she said. “I think the fact that I’m a Girl Scout working toward her Gold Award set me apart some.”
Walter said BU is extremely excited and proud of the class of 2014, and think it will be a good asset to the BU community.
“It’s an amazing class,” she said.
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