iBerkshires.com Columnist SectionSue Bush
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Williams Admits 1,120 To Class of '1101:40PM / Thursday, April 12, 2007
Williamstown - Williams College offered admission to 1,120 students to the Class of 2011. More than 6,437 students applied, and letters of acceptance were mailed on March 28. The admission rate of 17.4 percent is the lowest in the history of the college.
Of those accepted this year, 568 are women and 552 men, maintaining the 51:49 female to male ratio typical of the past few years. Two hundred fifteen students were admitted early decision. Students who apply early promise to attend if admitted.
"We were faced with the difficult task of choosing the class from among an ever larger number of candidates than last year, when 6,000 students applied," said Richard Nesbitt, director of admission. "The excellence of the applicant pool is even more remarkable than the number of candidates and I am extremely pleased with the wonderful group of students who will comprise the Class of 2011."
This year's pool of accepted students is academically impressive. The SAT averages for those admitted to the Class of 2011 are 726 (verbal) and 715 (math).
Williams College's strong financial aid program is critically important in encouraging outstanding students to apply. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.
"We made a concerted effort to reach unusually talented students from all backgrounds, with particular focus on high ability students from families who make less than $50,000," Nesbitt said.
The applicant group for the Class of 2011 saw a significant increase in the number of minority and international students. Asian American applications increased by 35 percent, African American by 21 percent, and international by 6 percent.
The largest group of U.S. students admitted is from New York (191 students), followed by California (115 students), Massachusetts (110 students), New Jersey (64 students), and Illinois (44 students). A group of 91 international students were accepted this year from countries ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
Factors cited by students who choose to come to Williams are academic reputation, size of the college, personal attention, attractiveness of the campus, academic facilities and extracurricular opportunities.
The college has been recognized for its faculty including undergraduates in their research and the number of students admitted who expressed interest in carrying out scientific research as a career has significantly increased: 135 students compared to 94 students last year.
The expected size of the Class of 2011 will be 538 first-year students. Applicants accepted through the Regular Decision process have until May 1 to decide whether or not to attend Williams. All accepted students have been invited to attend the Williams Preview Program April 16-17 to explore the college and meet their future classmates. |
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