While an increase in applications from women has produced an applicant pool that is approximately 60 percent female, in terms of demographics, "it looks likes we're getting more of everything," Miller said. "The increases have been pretty much across the board in terms of geography and ethnicity."
The segment on Sex Power God that aired Nov. 14 on "The O'Reilly Factor" had little effect on the size of the regular applicant pool, Miller said, although not all the applications have been fully reviewed.
"We've heard virtually nothing about that from prospective students," he said. "It was a blip. There's nothing right now that we can pinpoint - it would all be sort of anecdotal."
The Nov. 1 early decision deadline preceded Bill O'Reilly's coverage of Sex Power God.
Now in its fourth year of need-blind admissions, the University has "reason to expect that we'll become more socially (and) economically diverse," Miller said. As word spreads to prospective students, parents and high school faculty regarding the need-blind policy, Miller expects further increases in applicant numbers, given that "we're able to admit students from all over the United States."
Miller emphasized that the University's reputation is also to be credited for this increasing popularity. "I think when people compare Brown to the myriad of other options, just in general, we look really good. ... People like the physical beauty of the campus, are really attracted by the curriculum and really like the faculty and students," he said.
Prospective students concur. Courtney Smith, a regular decision applicant from Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Va., praised Brown's "really great international relations program and the (overall) liberal arts education," while also citing the open curriculum and the "tolerance and acceptance of the student body" as factors influencing her decision.
Speaking with Norfolk Academy graduates who had gone on to Brown confirmed it as her first choice, though Smith applied to several other colleges, including the University of Virginia and Georgetown University.
Michael Bechek '10, a senior at Milton Academy in Milton, Mass., who was accepted to Brown early decision, chose to apply to Brown over Yale University and other peer institutions largely for the University's unique student body. "The kind of kids that go to Brown, I thought, were a lot more like the kids I hang out with at my high school - while very intense academically, not competitive with one another in a mean-spirited kind of way.
"Plus, Providence beats New Haven - by a lot," Bechek added."
Bechek's classmate Rebecca Sigel '10, also accepted early decision, agreed with his statement and expressed her appreciation for a city that is "small but not too small," as well as a student body that is reputedly "really smart and motivated, but without the pretension of the kids who might go to the other (Ivy League schools)."
All three students reported almost exclusively positive feelings toward Brown among their peers. "I'm sure dozens of kids applied regular decision - Brown is on almost every Milton kid's list," Bechek said.
The only negative con-versations seem to regard decision concerns. "I know there was some worry that the new director of admissions might tighten up on who was accepted and rejected, but that's about the extent of whatever reactionary things I've heard," Sigel said.
