Phila. apps grow by fifth

The number of Philadelphia high school students applying to the University grew by 19 percent this year, partly as a result of recent publicity surrounding the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit, admissions officials said this week. Janet Kobosky, the regional director of admissions, said the trial "strengthened [the University's] name recognition." She added that better relations between the University and the Philadelphia community may have improved the turnout. "Penn continues to build upon its good relationship with its neighbors," she said. The lawsuit, filed by labor unions, student groups and several individuals, claims that a 1977 city ordinance requires the University to award 125 scholarships to Philadelphia high school graduates in each University class, for a total of 500 at a time. The University, however, maintains that it is required to provide a total of 125 scholarships at a time in return for rent-free city land. Kobosky also attributed the application climb -- from 275 last year to 328 for the class of 1997 -- to "more aggressive recruiting" in the area. Among the Philadelphia high school applicant pool, public school applications grew by 15 percent from 160 last year to 184 this year. Private school applications sprouted upwards 24 percent from 76 to 94 and parochial school applications rose 28 percent from 39 to 50. Although no final count of applications has been made, Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said he can make projections based on data from the last ten years and the number of "part ones" of applications received. Stetson said he expects approximately the same final number of applicants this year as last year, which numbered 12,474. But he said because of the 27 percent applicant increase between last year and the year before, he is surprised that the University will "stay at this level two years in a row." The various schools of the University experienced various fluctuations. Applications to the College grew from 7,943 last year to 8,000 this year and Wharton School applications fell from 2,088 to 1,900. Stetson said this drop in Wharton applications shows a trend of "lesser interest in business" which he believes will "shift back in the next few years as the economy starts to rebound." Engineering School application numbers stayed constant with 2,185 applicants this year and 2,190 last year and Nursing School applications are down from 253 to 220. After achieving "all-time highs" last year, black and Asian-American numbers underwent a downswing. Black student applications were down from 788 last year to 720 this year and Asian-American student applications decreased from 3,489 to 3,350. Meanwhile, Hispanic student applications rose from 618 last year to 630 this year and Native American student applications grew from 20 to 23 this year. International student applications have stayed consistent with 1,650 tallied so far this year compared to 1,680 last year. And legacy applications -- those from immediate relatives of alumni -- rose by 8 percent from 648 to 701.