For 10th straight year, Ohio State welcomes brightest class

COLUMBUS – For the 10th consecutive year, The Ohio State University will welcome its best academically prepared freshman class when school begins Wednesday (9/22).

In a trend that began ten years ago, first-year students have continuously improved in measures of academic quality.

First-year students this year have entered Ohio State with higher than ever average ACT and SAT scores, while more are in the top 10 percent and top 25 percent of their high school class. The university also has more University Scholars, who are students in the top 3 percent of their graduating classes and achieve an ACT composite score of 29 or above or a combined SAT score of 1300 or above.

Because official student enrollment figures are not certified until the 15th day of the quarter, the figures are projections based on data from students who have indicated they will attend.

This year’s entering class has an average ACT score of 25.6, up from 25.4 last year, and 22.8 in 1994 and SAT scores of between 1175 to 1185, up from 1176 last year and from 990 in 1994. The number of students in the top 10 percent of their high school class will be between 34 and 35 percent, up from 33 percent last year and 22 percent in 1994. This year, the university expects that 70 to 72 percent of the new class will have graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school class, up from 69 percent last year and 47 percent in 1994.

University President Karen Holbrook said dramatic improvement in the academic profile of first-year students over the last ten years shows that the university’s strategic efforts in recruiting and retaining high-quality students is paying dividends.

“The outstanding academic credentials of the class is continued evidence that our strategic investments are attracting students we know will succeed at Ohio State,” Holbrook said. “These quality indicators show that Ohio State is making progress on our goal to be one of the nation’s best public research universities.”

The improvements in the quality of the students and the retention rate are the result of a number of initiatives, according to Martha Garland, vice provost and dean for the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

“First, we are more strategic with our recruiting resources, spending more time encouraging a campus visit and then connecting potential students with the university when they express interest. And second, we have become quite good at identifying students’ financial aid needs and developing the packages that are just right for them. We have become more sophisticated, and therefore more effective,” Garland said.

As tuition has increased over the past several years, a corresponding amount has been set aside for financial aid, Garland said, to assure that students who are admitted and have financial need are still able to attend Ohio State.

First-Year Experience Program
The addition of the First Year Experience (FYE) program in 2001 has helped connect students to the university more quickly and more effectively, said Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for Undergraduate Admissions and the First Year Experience. “The resources for this program have allowed us to better help students make the transition from high school and home to college and being on their own,” she said. While FYE brings speakers like Mario Cuomo and Buckeye Book Community authors to campus to broaden student’s horizons, the program also offers the First-Year Success Series, seminars that focus on helping new students manage time and freedom, money and relationships, and their physical and mental well-being.

While the university is seeing continued improvement in the academic preparedness of first-year students, officials report a slight decrease in the number of new minority students. Decreases are expected among first-year African American and Hispanic students, while the number of Native American first-year students is expected to remain steady. Between 375 and 385 African Americans are expected, down from 550 last year, and between 155 and 165 Hispanics are expected, down from 178 last year.

Freeman said the decrease is not surprising, since a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision changed the application process. “Any time you change the admissions process, the number of applications drops,” Freeman said. “While we are disappointed to see our numbers decline, we were not surprised. At the same time, we are already working to do an even better job of recruiting minorities to campus.”

Freeman’s office is part of a new recruiting plan that includes a radio campaign aimed at encouraging minority students and their parents to take the necessary steps to apply to college.

Retention increases
As Ohio State students have become better academically prepared, more have stayed in school and more have graduated. Student retention for the class entering in 1994 was 78 percent. Nearly 88 percent of first-year students who entered a year ago are expected to return this year, a percentage similar to last year’s figure. In addition, even though enrollment has remained fairly steady, with just over 50,000 students on the Columbus campus in both 1993 and 2003, the size of the graduating classes has been steadily increasing. Last spring, a record 7,225 students received their diplomas at spring commencement. The 2002 spring graduating class also exceeded 6,000. Previous spring graduating class sizes have averaged 5,400.

Garland says that the university also has allocated resources to improve the experience students have once they get to the university, which has resulted in the retention increases. “We’ve improved the electronic environment, with more computer labs, increased wiring on campus and increased the electronic support we give to students,” she said. With more technological support, the university also has been able to more closely track where additional sections are needed to prevent students from being closed out of courses they need to graduate on time. The additional sections of core courses coupled with enhanced academic advising also means that more and more students are able to graduate in four years, she said. Almost half of the spring 2004 graduates got through in four years, she said, versus 22 percent just five to six years ago.

“While we’re getting better students, we’re also taking better care of them,” Garland said. “One of the most important things we can do to persuade good students to come to Ohio State is to make sure their brothers and sisters have a good experience when they get here.”

Diverse talents
In addition to being academically well-prepared, this year’s entering class also is one of diverse talents, Freeman said, including large numbers of school leaders, musicians, athletes, and overall hard workers.

Achievements of first-year students include:
· Almost 33 percent participated in state music contests, and about 80 percent received “superior” ratings.

· About 25 percent received awards or recognition for community service.

· About 15 percent of new students won prizes or awards for scientific work or study.

· More than 50 percent earned varsity letters.

· About 50 percent received awards or special recognition for leadership.

· About 25 percent held elected offices while in high school.

· About 70 percent held part-time jobs while in high school.