Applications to Occidental Set New Record

Colleges and Universities A-Z Occidental College
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<p>From its WP</p>

<p>Occidental College received more than 5,200 applications for admission to the Class of 2010, setting a new record for the eighth consecutive year and once again confirming Occidental’s status as one of the country’s hottest colleges.</p>

<p>Preliminary results show that at least 5,219 students submitted applications, up 2 percent from last year’s record tally. Overall, applications to Occidental have risen a remarkable 180 percent over the past nine years (as compared to 1,865 applications in 1997).</p>

<p>Occidental now receives more applications than three-quarters of U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 liberal arts colleges, as reported in last year’s rankings. While most peer institutions also have seen increases in applications, Occidental’s numbers stand out.</p>

<p>“I’ve worked in admission at four other colleges and universities over the past 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said William Tingley, Occidental’s vice president for admission and financial aid. “I would be hard-pressed to name another college in the country that has experienced a 180 percent increase over the past nine years.”</p>

<p>“What’s impressive is not just the numbers of applicants but the quality of their academic work and involvement in the community,” said Dean of Admission Vince Cuseo. “Each year we see a more able and accomplished set of candidates, which makes our deliberations more rewarding – and daunting.”</p>

<p>Cuseo cautioned that no one expects the record-setting trend to continue indefinitely. “We know our numbers will plateau, sooner or later,” he noted.</p>

<p>Occidental has been named by Newsweek as one of America’s hottest colleges twice during the past five years. The nationally ranked, 119-year-old college plans to enroll approximately 445 students in its fall 2006 first-year class.</p>

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<p>so less than 1 in 10 applicants will in enroll, obviously thats not acceptances but still scary numbers</p>

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<p>applications increased? oh bummer :(</p>

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<p>It's getting tough.
this is from last year</p>

<p>Quote:
I'm slightly surprised. Oxy is a competitive school, but I didn't think it was "that" competitive. It wasn't my first choice, but it was one of the colleges that I have been interested in for a pretty long time. My interviewer was sort of cold, maybe.</p>

<p>My Stats:
Gender: Female
Location: Southeast
School: Private prep school
GPA: 3.4 (unweighted)- that's pretty low I guess, but my school offers more rigorous courses than most publics
SAT: 1390 (far better verbal than math)
Extracurriculars: Editor of school paper, editor of literary magazine, piano, violin, swimming, volunteer at church, Amnesty International, mulit-cultural club (and those are ACTIVE memberships, not cheap space-filler to look impressive on college apps)
APs: Only three: foreign language, English and Euro His.
Interview at Oxy: Yes
Teacher Recs: foreign language teacher and English teacher (got straight A's all year in both their classes)</p>

<p>I dunno. Maybe my essay wasn't that good. </p>

<p>Anyway, congrats to those who were accepted! I'll probably end up in Los Angeles anyway, because I got accepted to USC. :)</p>

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<p>When are they going to send out acceptances?</p>

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<p>Congrats Oxypomona on USC!</p>

<p>waiting seems like eternity</p>

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<p>Decisions to be Mailed Soon
We received close to 5,300 applications this year; reading all of them has been both enjoyable and a bit daunting. While there is still much work to be done, we expect to mail our decisions on March 23. </p>

<p>Prospective Underclassmen May Visit
Even though we are in the process of making decisions on current seniors' applications, we welcome prospective Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen to visit the campus or to request more information. Just use the links on the left to learn more.</p>