<p>The University of Delaware received a record number of applications last year and is on pace to beat that number this year. The increases probably won't hurt the chances of admission for in-state students, who typically get in -- either on the Newark campus or in the associate in arts partnership with Delaware Technical & Community College -- if they meet all the academic requirements.</p>
<p>But more than 20,000 out-of-state students compete for about 2,500 allotted spaces in UD's freshman class. Most of them are qualified academically, so the school looks for students who stand out from the pack in other ways, admissions director Louis Hirsh said.</p>
<p>"We're trying to imagine two things about each applicant," Hirsh said. "One is: What will the student be like in the classroom? Would the faculty enjoy teaching this kid? Since we're a residential university, we also ask: What's the student going to be like in the residence halls? If there's a bull session going on in the evening and kids are shooting the breeze into the wee hours of the morning, what would the other students learn from living with this person? How would that student impact the lives of the rest of the freshmen?"</p>