<p>
[quote]
Vassar welcomes its most selective and diverse freshman class.
POUGHKEEPSIE, NYSix hundred and sixty-six freshmen selected from the largest applicant pool in Vassar College's history will begin classes on August 30. Vassar received 7822 applications for the class of 2014, and slightly less than 24 percent of the applicants were offered admission, making 2014 Vassar's most selective class ever. Nearly 35% of Vassar's new freshmen are students of color, the largest percentage in the college's history. This is also the college's most socio-economically diverse freshman class in memory, with 62.5% receiving Vassar scholarship funding. Moreover, eighty members of the class are first generation college students.</p>
<p>Sixty-five percent of Vassar's class of 2014 with a high school rank graduated in the top 10 percent of their class, and 91 percent were in the top 20 percent. Their average SAT scores were 702 on the critical reading exam, 679 on the mathematics exam, and 691 on the writing exam, with a mean recomputed high school grade point average slightly above A-minus.</p>
<p>Among the outstanding students in the class of 2014 are 38 valedictorians, 15 salutatorians, 35 National Merit Finalists or Semi-Finalists, 91 students with perfect scores on one or more standardized tests, 45 winners of major book awards, 2 National Achievement Scholars, 3 National Hispanic Scholars, and 7 National Honor Society presidents. Thirty members were class or student council presidents, along with 124 varsity sports captains, 10 all-state music/art winners, 171 school club presidents, 42 founders of a high school club, and 44 editors-in-chief of a major high school publication.</p>
<p>The class of 2014 comes to Poughkeepsie from more than 500 high schools in 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and 29 foreign nations. Comprising 9% of the class, 58 members are international students with either foreign or dual citizenship from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. Eighty members are bilingual or speak English as a second language, and their languages include Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, French, Garifuna, Georgian, German, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.</p>
<p>Members of the Class of 2014 have done a great many interesting things. One student worked in her country's presidents office during school breaks, one interned with an investigative reporter for the Chicago Sun Times newspaper, another founded a non-profit to prepare recent immigrants for the U.S. citizenship test, one was the sole instructor of her eleventh grade French class for a month after her teacher suddenly resigned, and one sang for both Elton Johns 60th birthday concert in Madison Square Garden and NBC's The Today Show.</p>
<p>Twenty Eagle Scouts/Girl Scout Golds, three successful entrepreneurs (web design, jewelry making, and pet care), and several students who have danced with professional companies are in the class of 2014, as are a student who raises and trains puppies for the Seeing Eye Dog foundation, and one who wrote her admissions essay about being a blacksmiths apprentice</p>
<p>Among the standout athletes in the class of 2014 are a starter on Hong Kong's under-20 national soccer team, Junior Olympians in fencing and equestrian, U.S. state champions in several sports, four black belt holders in Tae Kwon Do or Karate, a student ranked third in archery in Korea, and one nationally ranked by the U.S. Tennis Association </p>
<p>A class member performed on Broadway in two major musicals, one gave free viola lessons to disadvantaged children, a number are published authors and poets, and one appeared in the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade riding on Santas float.</p>
<p>In descending order, the top U.S. feeder states for the class of 2014 are New York (158), California (91), Massachusetts (54), New Jersey (51), Connecticut (36), Pennsylvania (23), Maryland (23), Illinois (13), Washington (13), New Hampshire (11), Florida (10), Ohio (9), and Texas (9).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Posted by College Relations Thursday, August 19, 2010</p>