Soap opera star, figure skating champ entering with Class of '99

and Betty Yuan September 2 will bring the last entering freshmen class of the millennium to the University. And the Class of 1996 certainly has its share of star, according to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, ranging from budding television actors to rising professional athletes. One member of the entering class, Jessica Prunell, who has appeared on As the World Turns for the past three years, turned down a six-year contract for a television series to pursue a college career. From actor to authors, one entering freshman, who immigrated from Russia in 1988, has already co-authored a textbook. And another student is an egyptologist who had her work published. Joining their illustrious fellow classmates will be several young athletes as well, including a nationally ranked figure skater, a top male squash player from Pakistan and a champion snowboarder from Munich, Germany. And the talent seems to stem abundantly from global sources -- a number of foreign countries have contributed to this year's prestigious group of first-year students. From Mongolia, comes the first undergraduate of her nation to enter the University of Pennsylvania in recent history who aspires to be a pre-medical student and will someday take her medical practice back to her home country. In addition, the controversial nations -- Bosnia and Croatia will also be sending the University it's finest students this coming fall. And the University is prepared to welcome their entering freshmen in style. This includes freshmen-geared programs such as "PennQuest" and New Student Orientation. Described as "an outdoor experience" by its glossy brochures, "PennQuest" is a four-day excursion and will start on August 28. Participants will spend one day at the Pocono Environment Education Center and the following day backpacking on the Appalachian trail. Students who wish to join in the "Quest" will pay $150 for the chance to get a head start socially, by meeting their new peers before the move-in frenzy that is marked by NSO. After move-in, students will be able to take part in several time-honored University traditions. This year, the Penn Reading Project assignment is the play, Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard. Small workshops will be carried out where faculty and students and discuss their reactions to the reading. And the NSO convocation -- with speeches given by the President and Provost to name a few -- will be among the first events that help create the Class of 1999's first impression of the University. There will also be a "Philly and You" bus tour among the events that will be offered. NSO will end with a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure taking place the Sunday after classes start.