<p>College admits 210 students early
Hanjie Jessie Yu - STAFF WRITER</p>
<p>JessiE Yu Staff Writer </p>
<p>The Office of Admission has completed its early decision process for the Class of 2009, accepting 210 students out of 529 applicants. Though the number of early applicants was down from last years all-time high of 559, the total does represent the third largest applicant pool in the Colleges early decision history. </p>
<p>The 210 students sent letters of acceptance represent 39 percent of the admission offices target class size of 538 students. </p>
<p>American students of colors make up 19 percent of the early decision group. 12 African-Americans, 16 Asian-Americans, 11 Latinos and two Native Americans are included in that percentage. </p>
<p>While the figures for admitted students of color are consistent with those in previous years, the number of international students admitted early is remarkably higher than in the past. For the last four years the number of international students admitted early remained between four and six; this year the count reached a total of 14. </p>
<p>The quality and number of international students in this years early pool was very high, said Dick Nesbitt, director of admission. The admission office sought to admit more international students early, Nesbitt said, due to past difficulties with students obtaining visas in time for matriculation, a problem that is of particular concern when international students are admitted over the summer from the waiting list. </p>
<p>The admission office accepted applicants from Canada, China, Columbia, Ghana, India, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, Norway and Thailand. </p>
<p>The students admitted early boast impressive academic credentials: the class average SAT score is 1417; 23 were recognized for excellence in research, 11 in the sciences and 12 in non-scientific fields; three received national writing awards; and 28 have demonstrated outstanding talents in music, studio art and theater. </p>
<p>The number of legacies admitted early decreased by half from 46 last year to 23 this year, reflecting a proportional decrease in the number of early legacy applicants, which dropped from 69 to 46. </p>
<p>Athletic tips form a larger group of this years early admits than they did last year, with 45 students admitted out of 66. This reflects a growing general trend for coaches, student athletes and their parents to seek an early match across schools, Nesbitt said. </p>
<p>One of the achievements of the admission office this year is the acceptance of 26 students from what it classifies as socio-economic group one. Students from within this group are the first in their families to attend college and have family incomes below $35,000 per year. In the past five years, the number of students accepted early from group one has fluctuated at just above a dozen. </p>
<p>In large measure, this reflects our partnership with Questbridge, an organization that helps to identify high ability, low income students and match them with highly selective colleges and universities, Nesbitt said. Were very pleased with the high academic quality of this group because Questbridge offers a very intense screening process through which it selects qualified students who come from less advantaged households, and this is for students across all races. </p>
<p>Out of these 26 students, 21 were admitted through Questbridge. For student applicants, one of the benefits of Questbridge is a higher chance of receiving financial aid. For those students who have been admitted to Williams, 13 will receive full scholarships and eight will receive generous financial aid packages, calculated according to the Colleges standard need-based financial aid formula. </p>
<p>In terms of geography, the distribution of students remains fairly consistent with other years. New York is still the state with the most number of admits, coming in at 35. Following close behind with totals in the low-20s are Massachusetts, California and Connecticut. One notable difference from last year is the number of students from California, which usually rings in much lower than this years 21. </p>
<p>Looking at two decades of admission statistics and trends, Nesbitt observed that in the mid-80s and 90s, the number of early decision applicants hovered in the mid-400s. Since 2000, however, that number has remained steady above 500. Nesbitt expects this healthy growth of early decision applicants to persist in coming years. </p>
<p>With regard to the debate over whether to continue with early decision, Nesbitt said that the College would most likely choose a policy of early action single choice if it were to drop early decision. Early action single choice, while non-binding, would still require that applicants demonstrate Williams to be their first choice. No plans to adopt such a policy are on the table.</p>