<p>Any explanation yet for why the yield was so high this year? 862 freshman (according to the Dean of Admissions during Orientation Week) is crazy high, isn't it? If that gets repeated, Oberlin can kiss its "ideal" 2800 student body count goodbye. </p>
<p>I'm just curious about the theories to explain the rise in admittee acceptances. I know it caused the administration to scramble for rooms because it wasn't expected.</p>
<p>Oberlin is hot?</p>
<p>Oberlin isn’t the only LAC that has welcomed unexpectedly large freshman classes this year. Drew, Guilford and several other private schools ended up with more students than they had counted on and are having to triple up or reopen dorms that they had intended to renovate or mothball.</p>
<p>Perhaps they overestimated the impact the recession would have on students and their families. On the flip side, SUNY Geneseo had anticipated a far higher yield than in the past but discovered in May that they still had openings in their freshman class and had to call “preferred” waitlisted students (who had been promised admission in January 2010) to offer them fall 2009 admission.</p>
<p>Plainsman, our ultimate yield for incoming first-years this year wasn’t actually all that much higher than in previous years–maybe a percentage point or two. We ended up exceeding our goal by about 30 students. We also had about 60 more returning students than we expected (each semester some returning students choose to study abroad, take a leave of absence, etc. The college guesstimates that number well before it’s actually available to help set the target number of incoming students, among other things). Overall, our enrollment this year is about 2890 students. The reasons why we’re slightly more popular this year than usual are anyone’s guess–no one really knows for sure.</p>
<p>^
ElizabethHouston, thank you very much for responding to the topic of this post. I appreciate it. But I would think as an academic institution there would be some curiosity about the increase. I see it as a good thing.</p>
<p>You probably won’t run into me on campus, Plainsman. My son is not a freshman and has to be on campus early for a fall sport - so we have never attended any parent orientation events. We will also skip the parents weekend and instead will visit on a weekend when he’ll be playing at home. </p>
<p>Don’t know how comfortable you’ll be with this, but your daughter might want to check out the ride board on the Oberlin website. My son has had great luck in finding rides home for Thanksgiving and Xmas. </p>
<p>Hope your daughter has a great first semester.</p>