The nation's brightest young men and women will be completing their transition from high school to college as the Class of 2002 arrives to enroll at Claremont McKenna College at 9:00 am Thursday, August 27, 1998.
There will be excellent interview and photo opportunities as students arrive, move into dormitories, meet new roommates, and say good-bye to their parents.
The 275 college freshmen and their parents will be arriving throughout the morning and early afternoon. With more than 11 applicants for each opening in the Class of 2002, it is one of the most selective classes ever to enroll at CMC. The total enrollment at Claremont this fall will be 1018, the highest ever in the history of CMC.
"The Class of 2002 was selected from the largest applicant pool ever in the history of CMC, which allowed us to choose from the best of the best," said Richard Vos, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid. There were a total of 3,043 applicants for the freshman class. This was an 11 percent increase from the previous year.
The new freshman class is also setting academic records. The median SAT scores totaled 1360 and more than 72 percent finished in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class. Seventeen were National Merit Scholars.
The Class of 2002 features wide geographic and ethnic diversity. The new students come from 33 different states and nine foreign countries . Nearly half of the incoming class comes from outside California. Thirty-five percent of the class classify themselves as ethnic minorities. The breakdown is 18.5 percent Asian, 11 percent Latino, and 6.5 percent African-American.
Claremont McKenna College president Jack L. Stark will address parents and new students at an orientation welcoming ceremony Saturday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. in Garrison Theater, 10th & Dartmouth in Claremont. This will be President Stark's final welcome to an incoming class as he has announced his intention to retire at the end of this academic year.
Claremont McKenna College is a highly selective independent liberal arts college educating leaders in business and public affairs. CMC enrolls over 1,000 students and is a member of The Claremont Colleges.