admissions – Page 2

Wesleyan received 742 applications for early decision this fall, an increase of 16.6 percent over last year. The increase of more than 100 applications provided Wesleyan with its biggest pool ever in early decision, according to Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, dean of admission and financial aid. Additionally, Wesleyan received the most ever applications from international students, up 75 percent. Other diversity measures were also strong, with a 44 percent increase from students of color in the United States and a 56 percent increase from African American students. “These results are most gratifying,” Meislahn said. “Potential applicants hold Wesleyan in high regard…

Wesleyan University announced that it will begin considering undocumented and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status applicants who have graduated from a U.S. high school as if they were U.S. citizens or permanent residents, beginning with the class entering in fall 2017. This policy change has important implications for admission and financial aid for these prospective students. “Supporting these talented and deserving young people is the right thing to do, and is consistent with Wesleyan values and our commitment to equity and inclusion,” said Wesleyan President Michael Roth. “Many of these students were brought to this country at a…

At a time when many are decrying the demise of liberal arts colleges, Wesleyan has received its largest application pool ever for the Class of 2020. As of Feb. 1, 12,026 students had applied, marking a 22 percent increase over the previous year and a 10 percent increase over the previous all-time high three years ago for the Class of 2017. “We’re very pleased by not only the sheer number of students who can see themselves at Wesleyan—amongst the highest of any liberal arts college—but also by the highly talented and diverse nature of the applicant pool,” said President Michael Roth. “I’d like…

Continuing its long-standing tradition of expanding access to higher education, Wesleyan recently announced a new partnership with Say Yes to Education. Say Yes works with students from low-income and other background historically underrepresented in the nation’s colleges and universities from partner locations including Buffalo and Syracuse, N.Y., Harlem, Hartford, Conn. and, most recently, Guilford County, N.C. Students have access to full-tuition scholarships as well as a wide array of supports and services—academic, social, emotional, medical and legal—to help them successfully navigate the path to college readiness. (more…)

Students in the Class of 2019 were selected from some of the toughest competition the Office of Admission has ever seen. “Our new students are superbly prepared—by traditional academic measures as good as it gets. And, particularly well prepared to work across the entire curriculum of arts and sciences,” said Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, dean of admission and financial aid. “The range of talents, cultures, family backgrounds in this group is remarkable. In many ways, this may be the most diverse class ever enrolled at Wes—and that’s saying something!” The Class of 2019’s top projected majors are economics, biology, psychology, film studies and English while 13 percent are undecided.

More than 185 Wesleyan students are employed in various campus departments over the summer. Of those, about 78 are work-study eligible. Students earn money that can be contributed to the cost of their education, while learning skills that will benefit them in the classroom and beyond. Employers benefit from students' skills, insight and enthusiasm. (more…)

On May 7-9, the Office of Admission held its annual conference for educators and directors of community-based organizations (CBOs), bringing together high school guidance counselors and directors from about 20 groups nationwide. The conference was founded in 2003 as a way to build closer relationships between Wesleyan and CBOs at a time when the Supreme Court was considering the landmark Grutter v. Bollinger case on the University of Michigan Law School’s affirmative action policy and many in higher education were feeling uncertain about the future of affirmative action, explained Cliff Thornton, associate dean of admission and co-organizer of the conference. (more…)

In this Q&A, meet campus tour guide Greg Tavarez ’16. He is an economics major, who runs on the Men’s Track and Field team, and is a member of the Invisible Men Collective.

Both the SAT and the ACT tests will be optional for high school applicants to Wesleyan University starting next fall, President Michael S. Roth announced this week. The tests, given annually to about three million students in 170 countries, have been part of the Wesleyan admissions process for many years. Wesleyan has required either the SAT with two subject tests, or the ACT. Now the university joins several hundred institutions, including many of its peer colleges, in making the tests optional. While students’ academic records will continue to be most important in Wesleyan’s admissions decisions, as they always have, applicants…

Admissions reports that the class of 2017 is nearly fully formed, the final offers have been made and Wesleyan will welcome a class of around 750 frosh in September. The class is more international than in previous years, with 101, or 13 percent of its students coming from outside the United States. These students are extremely well prepared academically for college and an open curriculum: more of its members took calculus, at least four years of a foreign language and biology, chemistry and physics in high school than the previous admitted class. “We’re pretty excited about this, and have a…

Q: Tara, when did you join Wesleyan's Office of Admission? A: I started working at Wesleyan in July of 2007. Q: What are they key ways you recruit students to Wesleyan? A: We recruit students in many different ways. Prospective students and their families visit our campus at all times of the year. We also travel all over the country and the world to spread the word about Wesleyan. We see every activity we undertake as recruiting. Q: What percentage of your time is spent traveling? Which regions of the country do you oversee? A: I spend about six to eight weeks…

Early Decision Applications Up More than 16%

Wesleyan to Consider Undocumented/DACA Status Applicants as Domestic Students in Admission Process

President Roth Joins Campus Tour

Wesleyan Receives Record Number of Applications for Class of 2020

Wesleyan Partners with Say Yes to Expand Educational Access

Diversity and Talents of the Class of 2019

Students Gain Skills, Help Departments While Working on Campus this Summer

Wesleyan Hosts Conference of Community-Based Organizations

Meet Wesleyan Tour Guide Greg Tavarez ’16

Wesleyan Makes Tests Optional in Admissions

Class of 2017 Takes Shape as Admissions Goes Paperless

Tara Lindros Oversees the Efforts of 800 Alumni Admission Volunteers