App. number satisfies officials

University officials said they are overjoyed with the record-breaking increase in regular decision applications this year. With the estimated number of applications reaching around 13,700, a 10.5 percent increase over last year, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens said the University is finally becoming more visible to outsiders. "I'm very pleased with the increase in applications," Stevens said. "I think the word is getting out about [the University]." The College of Arts and Sciences received a record 9,180 applications, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences broke their record with 2,418 applications. Engineering School Dean Gregory Farrington is "tickled" by the 11 percent increase in applications to his school. "A couple of years ago we established a goal of increasing number of applications and each year we've grown quite substantially," Farrington said. The Engineering School revised its undergraduate literature and made changes to the informational videotape, which describes the school, in an effort to be more visible to potential students, Farrington said. "All these things add together to attract more applicants," he added. The School of Nursing also had a rise in applications, with a nine percent increase over last year. "We are very pleased with the quality of our applicants and by the continued growth and interest in our program," said Associate Nursing Dean Mary Naylor. "While growth is projected in the future, we really feel we are where we want to be as far as the undergraduate program is concerned." The only one of the four undergraduate schools that experienced a decrease in applications is the Wharton School. Wharton experienced a one percent drop this year, with 1,902 applications. While Admissions Dean Lee Stetson attributes this slight decrease to a stabilization in the interest level, Janice Bellace, vice dean of Wharton, offers another reason. Bellace said the 400 hundred applications received for the new joint-degree International Relations program between Wharton and the College were all counted in the College's applicant pool. If those applications had been included in the Wharton applicant pool, the figures would have shown a 20 percent increase, she said. "We can't figure out how many of these people would have applied to Wharton or the College alone," Bellace said. "I wondered if this program attributed to the increase [in College applications]." Bellace added that she was excited by the interest level the program has received. "While 400 applications were received, only 40 students will be allowed into the program," Bellace said. "Thus, the program is proving to be extremely attractive." Overall, Stevens said she was pleased that the University's dedication to quality education and research is becoming more widely known, with help from students and alumni. "I hope that we will see a continuous rise in applications," Stevens added. "I think we deserve it."

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