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Class of 2005 touted as most talented in University history

The Office of Admissions has finished reading all 14 million words in the application essays this year and the results are in.

“The class of 2005, is clearly going to be the strongest and most talented class in the history of [Boston] University,” said Kelly Walter, director of admissions.

Walter said stronger students are applying to the University because of “the quality of the educational experience that [exists] here.” She cited, in particular, the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, to study abroad and to choose double-majors through the Boston University Collaborative Degree Program.

“[Boston University] allows [students] to challenge themselves academically, and brighter students are looking for these academic choices,” Walter added.

Consequently, the acceptance rate is 42 percent, down from last year’s 49 percent. “It’s becoming more competitive. We are admitting fewer students,” Walter said, adding this year alone roughly 2,000 less applicants were offered admission.

The applicant pool in general was stronger as well. The mean ACT score is 29 and the average SAT score of accepted students is 1320, Walter said, a number 16 points higher than that of the class of 2004.

Additionally, in the total applicant pool, the SAT average rose eight points. However, Walter said “the numbers obviously reflect the quality of the class but what students have done in and outside of the classroom is as important as their 1540 SAT score.”

She noted the single most important factor in the admission decision is a student’s exhibition of course work, including grades and the rigor of his or her high school curriculum.

“[The] academic record from ninth grade through the first half of senior year is most predictive of freshman level achievement rather than three hours on a Saturday morning taking the SAT,” Walter said.

Admission standards vary for each of the schools and colleges within BU. Some academic areas are more heavily weighted depending on the program to which a student applies. Math and sciences are more important for students planning to major in engineering while the ability to write well and express oneself are paramount for College of Communication applicants. The toughest competition exists for entry to the accelerated medical and dental programs as well as the University Professors Program.

From the 27,540 applications reviewed, a 2 percent drop from last year’s all-time high, 3,950 students are expected to enroll in BU’s freshman class for the fall semester.

The average high school grade point average, 3.6, and overall class rank are almost identical to last year’s statistics. Sixty-eight percent of accepted students ranked in the top 10 percent of their senior class and 533 of them were the valedictorian of their class.

And as Walter noted, every class is built on the strengths, special skills and talents of the applicants. This year, as is typical, a diverse group of students from all 50 states and 104 international countries was accepted.

Many of them have local talent including a student from Washington state who was named “Naturalist of the Year” while volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium, and a Pennsylvania native whose Olympics of the Mind team placed fifth in the world. Other students have gained membership in various honor societies or participated in school or community service projects. One student was even named one of Teen People’s “20 Kids Who May Change the World” for her work in the movement to stop the use of child soldiers.

The field also features a variety of athletes and artists. The group of accepted students includes an Olympic swimmer from the Sydney games, a certified FAA pilot and a ball boy for the Detroit Lions.

“It’s who the people are, not the sum of their grades and test scores that are the heart of a Boston University student,” Walter said.

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