Class of 2017 Shows Strength in Numbers

While welcoming members of the Class of 2017 and their families to the Davidson family, Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Chris Gruber offered some facts and figures about them. Here's what he reported:

• There are 482 first year students in Class of 2017, and 15 transfer students. There are 228 first year men, and 254 first year women.
• Members of the class were selected from 4,745 applicants–the second largest pool in Davidson history. Admission was offered to 25.6 percent of applicants, and 40 percent of those accepted the offer.
• The class represents 40 states, the District of Columbia and 18 countries. There are 101 students from North Carolina, and 39 percent are from Southeastern states.
• Ninety-two students arrive with a family tie to Davidson, 47 are the first in their families to attend college, and 93 are recruited student athletes.
• Eleven students took the Davidson experience for a test drive as participants in the July Experience program.
• The incoming class is the most diverse ever at Davidson, including 38 African Americans, 43 Asian Americans, 33 Hispanic Americans, three American Indians, and 37 international students. In total, 31.2 percent of class members have multicultural backgrounds.
• Eighty-five percent of those ranked by their high schools were in the top 10 percent of their class. Forty-six percent of incoming class members received need-based financial assistance, and 12 percent received merit-based aid.

Notable by Gruber for outstanding achievements is a class member who started not one, but two non-profit organizations. There is also a young man who performed for R.E.M.'s final CD release party, and a student who has been a soloist at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade–three times.

There is a student who wrote a book for seventh graders on the science of Downs Syndrome, a student who spent a summer working on a sheep farm.

Gruber cited a woman with an "unbelievable" friend. He said, "The friend, who was asked to write her peer recommendation, came to Davidson of her own accord to attend an information sessions to learn as much as possible about Davidson before she wrote her recommendation!"

"Finally," he said, "the class includes one student who visited more than one hundred colleges and universities, and then applied to Davidson early decision!"

View a complete schedule of Orientation activities.