UR saw a record number of undergraduate applications this past year. The 987-member class of 2007 is one of the most selective and also one of the most diverse classes in university history, with a more than 20 percent increase of African-American and Hispanic students.
UR received approximately 10,600 freshman applications for the fall 2003 cycle, an increase of around 1,900 over the 2002 cycle. The previous record for freshman applications was 10,080 for fall 2000. Due to the increased number of applications, the selection process was highly selective.
Recruiting was conducted slightly differently this year, with more emphasis placed on interviews conducted by alumni and by the admissions office staff. Admissions will continue to emphasize the interviews in the future.
“Interviews give you a lot more understanding of how students think of themselves,” Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jon Burdick said.
This year’s freshman class is one of the most racially and geographically diverse. 120 members of the freshman class, or about 11 percent, identified themselves as African-American or Hispanic. Over the past decade, the number of students in these two categories has averaged between 8 and 9 percent.
Freshman Derec Ciafre finds the school to be diverse.
“My high school wasn’t even close,” Ciafre said. “Here you can pretty much find anything.”
This is also the first year that UR is expected to have less than half the freshman class come from New York State. Burdick said that there were attempts to bring in larger groups from the West and the South, traditionally the least-represented geographic groups.
Final data for the Class of 2007 will be released by the end of September.
Career Center unveils changes
The start of a new semester has brought several additions to the Career Center, including informational handbooks for undergraduates titled “UR Successful,” instructional handouts called “1 Pagers” and showcases of job opportunities on campus and off.
According to Director of the Career Center Burton Nadler, the Career Center can be helpful for anyone.
“Unlike other schools, our Career Center is for freshmen, seniors and beyond,” Nadler said. “Freshmen are more than welcome to come in for advice on classes and for choosing a major.”
One addition for this year is the “UR Successful” handbook. There is one for seniors and one for underclassmen. The senior handbook focuses primarily on graduate schools, job searches and how to fill out applications. The other handbook focuses more on internships and setting goals.
Along with “UR Successful,” the Career Center has added “1 Pagers” to its repertoire of readily available informational handouts. They also offer CareerLink, an online database of job and internship postings from companies and organizations all across the country.
Located on the third floor of Meliora Hall, the Career Center houses a resource library along with consultants to answer questions and help students find jobs or internships, create rsums or offer advice on majors.
Last year, the center sent out over 50,000 rsums to employers all over the country – a record number for UR.
“Every year, the job search, the economy and the candidates are changing. We have to change with them.”
The Career Center holds annual Career and Internship Connections (CICs). In the past, these events have allowed students to interview with and to learn about companies from New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. According to Nadler, Chicago was recently added this year.
Reporting by Colin Brown and Michelle Kline.
