A record number of prospective students applied to the College this year, with 18,951 applications for the class of 2011 received so far. University officials expect that number to increase as latecomers trickle in.
"We're not finished counting yet," said Dean of Admission James Miller '73, who estimated that the final number of applications would top 19,000. He said the number of students who will be admitted is not yet known, but the final number of matriculating students in the class of 2011 should be about 1,460 students.
Regular decision applications increased more than 4.3 percent over last year, from 15,937 to 16,644 received to date. Miller credited the increase - which was less than last year's increase of 6.7 percent - to Brown "continu(ing) to be an attractive option for students," the growing number of high school graduates in general applying to college and the existence of need-blind admission, which was introduced five years ago.
Admission officials report a notable increase in applications from international students - a 15.4 percent rise, with applications growing to 2,078 from 1,801 a year ago. "We did more recruiting internationally than we have for a number of years," Miller said, noting that admission officers visited China and, for the first time in several years, Africa.
Miller said the increase in international applications may be related to the University's recent emphasis on internationalization. "It's hard to tell, but it may be a byproduct of people's awareness that Brown is more focused on globalization," he said.
Minorities from within the United States constitute about 30.5 percent of the total admission pool, with applications from black students increasing nine percent over last year. Applications from Asian-American and Hispanic students each increased about five percent.
But applications from American Indian students decreased slightly, from 63 to 61.
Regular decision applicants remain hopeful, but given the daunting numbers, many are pragmatic as well.
"I really want to get in, and I think there's a chance of me getting in, but it's not extremely high," said Josh Darfler, a senior at Lansing High School in Ithaca, N.Y. Lansing said he was attracted to Brown by its flexible curriculum, and as a prospective biology concentrator, he was also impressed with the new Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences.
Naomi Jagoda, a senior at Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, N.Y., took a similarly realistic view of her prospects for admission.
"I think that I have a chance, but getting into any of the top colleges is like having your name drawn out from a lottery," Jagoda said.
Admission officers began reviewing applications before winter break began, and are now reading seven days a week. "We've got an enormous number of applications to get through, and it's gratifying to be that popular," Miller said.
Asian earthquake forces extension of admission deadline
"A handful" of students affected by a Dec. 26 earthquake in Taiwan will have until Jan. 31 to apply for admission for the class of 2011, according to Dean of Admission James Miller '73.
The one-month extension is for applicants from Taiwan and large parts of mainland China, Miller said, including the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hongzhou and Souzhou. Brown admission officers visited some of those cities during a two-week recruiting trip to China last fall.
Miller estimated that fewer than 15 applicants from the affected areas needed the extra time for their applications.Last year, Brown and a number of other universities extended admission deadlines for students affected by Hurricane Katrina, Miller said. "Historically, during responses to natural disasters, there have been extended deadlines," he said.
