U. preps for incoming frosh

Administrators expect to accommodate the needs of the large Class of 2003. The issue, it seems, is not whether this year's approximately 2,550 incoming freshmen are ready for Penn, but whether Penn is ready for them. With the University preparing itself for about 200 more freshmen to occupy classrooms, bedrooms and dining halls than it had initially anticipated, ramifications -- mostly small and generally manageable -- are expected to be felt in both the academic and housing arenas. Despite a record-low 26.6 percent acceptance rate of applicants, an all-time high of 55 percent of accepted high school seniors have so far chosen to matriculate, though admissions officials expect some of those students to defer admission a year or decide not to attend at all. In the College of Arts and Sciences, for example, where the number of matriculating students has increased from around 1,540 to 1,650, plans are already underway. "If and when we see that the numbers really are that significantly increased, we will do a very careful evaluation of the College," College Dean Richard Beeman said. Beeman cited increased sections for large introductory courses, more teaching assistants and significantly more standing-faculty taught freshman seminars -- more than twice as many will be offered in the fall semester -- as examples of ways in which the College will accommodate the larger-than-expected freshman class. Still, Beeman stressed that the University's high yield rate hardly poses a problem for the University's largest undergraduate school. "I really do feel that we can handle this, not just by saying that it will somehow work out," Beeman said. "We are going to very actively ask ourselves where we need to add resources in order to accommodate this." One possible additional change, Beeman noted, may be in the College's advising system, which currently provides undergraduate peer advisers and faculty advisers -- both of which could conceivably be responsible for more students in the near future -- as well as assistant deans in the College office. And Director of College Houses and Academic Services David Brownlee said the 12 college houses should be "equipped" to accommodate freshmen housing needs as best as possible. Brownlee acknowledged that despite the perennial "waiting list" and persistent number of people "who can't get on campus," all freshmen -- the students most likely to live on campus -- will be guaranteed housing. "All of the college houses will see increased freshmen populations," Brownlee said, adding that many empty rooms in the college houses are being reserved for freshmen. And, like Beeman, Brownlee did not foresee too many problems with the size of the incoming class. "This is not a huge change from the situation that we've had in the past," Brownlee said. The high yield has produced mixed feelings among administrators who consider the large rate as proof of the University's growing popularity but, at the same time, do not want the above-average numbers to become a trend. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said the increased amount of students interested in matriculating is "good news" and should lead to a more "attractive profile." And Beeman agreed that the high yield is "another indication that we're a hot school." Stetson also said that Penn is not the only Ivy League university with an increase in interested students -- indeed, several other Ivies had larger yield rates this year than in past years. "We heard that many other schools are over-subscribed too," Stetson said. Stetson emphasized that the admissions office will focus on decreasing the yield in the future and would rather view the incoming freshman class' size as an exception, rather than a norm. "I would anticipate that we would scale back [next year]" Stetson said, adding that the "Class of 2004 should be smaller" than the Class of 2003. Whether the University can easily succeed in this goal -- especially given the record-high number of applications this year -- is not clear, but Beeman said he would be happy to see smaller classes in the future. "I can't say I'm doing handstands that we've got this many [students]," Beeman said.

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