Enrollment reaches record high

Author: Chi Zhang

From the trademark first-year name placards in upperclassmen hallways to a dining hall with slightly more ding, the considerable increase in student population has announced itself up front. The conspicuously larger student body has drawn attention to the admissions process, as well as raising such issues as housing and class size.

The total College enrollment increased by 69 students from last year, while first-year enrollment leaped by 82, primarily due to an unexpected rise in the yield - the ratio of matriculated students over admitted students.

Although projection models and trend studies do apply, Dean of Admissions Bob Clagett described "whims of adolescents" and other unpredictable factors in the algorithm of yield determination that may easily create uncertainties. This year's yield ended up two to three percentage points higher than the traditional 44 percent which has been consistent over the past few years.

It may seem logical to have expected a higher yield in view of the College's increasing prominence, but this year's application pool improved both quantitatively and qualitatively, which led to a somewhat conservative projection of the yield.

"A larger application pool only means that more students are applying to more colleges," said Clagett. "And with a high average SAT score, we expected more students to choose schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton over Middlebury."

But Middlebury has become more prospective students' first choice, as a result of which the College now hosts 645 first-years, 45 more than the target of 600.

"The yield is no longer a consideration in ranking," said Clagett, "but it speaks well for Middlebury - it reflects that Middlebury's emphasis on International Studies, Environmental Studies, the Languages and increasingly, the sciences, has resonated with students around the world. But we do need to be cautious when we do our projections for the spring."

Clagett also speculated the effect of a lower student loan expectation on the yield. As outlined in the Strategic Plan, loan expectation this year was reduced from $4,000 per year to $1,500 per year, which could have been a strong pull factor for admitted students.

Higher first-year enrollment is the most discernible, but by no means the only, factor contributing to the large student population. Compared to previous years, fewer students are taking leaves of absence, while a few more students came back from their leaves. These coincidental occurrences are hard to explain and harder to control.

"These are all small numbers," said John Emerson, secretary of the College. "But they add up."

The combined effect of these factors is a student population that exceeded the target of 2,350 by about 90, which has undoubtedly put more pressure on facilities, especially housing.

In response to the increased student body, the administration allowed a few more seniors to live off-campus than in previous years. To further relieve the housing situation, many campus lounges have been converted to dormitory space, both to the delight of current occupants as well as the disappointment of former frequent lounge patrons.

"My room has three windows and a nice view of the mountains. It's spacious and classy," said Rodrigo Seira '11, proud resident of a lounge on Hadley Hall. "My friends are all jealous of my room."

Some first-years are also spilling over to what used to be upperclassmen halls. Prescott House, never before inhabited by first-years, now houses 10 of them, in addition to 20 upperclassmen. Clagett saw the potential for positive dynamics in this mix.

"It is a way of enhancing a broader sense of College community not necessarily at the cost of class unity," said Clagett. "And upperclassmen may act as role models for the first-years."

However, not everyone was enthusiastic about the situation. Joel Simpson '08 was apprehensive about housing freshmen in Prescott House.

"Living with upperclassmen is fine, but Prescott is far, removed," said Simpson. "Some of them may love it there, but if I were a freshman, I personally would want to be closer to everybody else."

While acknowledging the strain this large student body exerts, Dean of the College Tim Spears commented on the potential for enhanced dynamism with a populous campus.

"A larger campus population brings more student energy into the mix," wrote Spears in an e-mail. "In fact, I've been struck by the positive reaction that some students have to the higher enrollment, the possibility, for instance, that we might have more talented musicians on campus than we would if the first-year class was smaller."

However, not all students echoed Spears' optimism. Merisha Enoe '08, for example, is concerned about the possible effects on the faculty-student ratio.

"It is especially noticeable in first-year Chinese classes," said Enoe. "There are 66 first-year Chinese students, and individual attention is diluted."

According to Director of Institutional Research Rebecca Brodigan, the faculty-student ratio may have changed marginally, but by and large stays at 9:1. There have also been efforts to open new class sections and additional First-Year Seminars.

In contrast with the general hullabaloo surrounding the burgeoning student population, the first-years, who have not witnessed the College without them and hence have no experience to compare to, most naturally remain somewhat aloof to this change.

"It's no big deal," said Seira and his friends.

"Some classes are a little crowded," said Robert Nicol '11. "But other than that, I don't feel anything special about being a member of a big class."

to choose schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton over Middlebury."

But Middlebury has become more prospective students' first choice, as a result of which the College now hosts 645 first-years, 45 more than the target of 600.

"The yield is no longer a consideration in ranking," said Clagett, "but it speaks well for Middlebury - it reflects that Middlebury's emphasis on International Studies, Environmental Studies, the Languages and increasingly, the sciences, has resonated with students around the world. But we do need to be cautious when we do our projections for the spring."

Clagett also speculated the effect of a lower student loan expectation on the yield. As outlined in the Strategic Plan, loan expectation this year was reduced from $4,000 per year to $1,500 per year, which could have been a strong pull factor for admitted students.

Higher first-year enrollment is the most discernible, but by no means the only, factor contributing to the large student population. Compared to previous years, fewer students are taking leaves of absence, while a few more students came back from their leaves. These coincidental occurrences are hard to explain and harder to control.

"These are all small numbers," said John Emerson, secretary of the College. "But they add up."

The combined effect of these factors is a student population that exceeded the target of 2,350 by about 90, which has undoubtedly put more pressure on facilities, especially housing.

In response to the increased student body, the administration allowed a few more seniors to live off-campus than in previous years. To further relieve the housing situation, many campus lounges have been converted to dormitory space, both to the delight of current occupants as well as the disappointment of former frequent lounge patrons.

"My room has three windows and a nice view of the mountains. It's spacious and classy," said Rodrigo Seira '11, proud resident of a lounge on Hadley Hall. "My friends are all jealous of my room."

Some first-years are also spilling over to what used to be upperclassmen halls. Prescott House, never before inhabited by first-years,
now houses 10 of them, in addition to 20 upperclassmen. Clagett saw the potential for positive dynamics in this mix.

"It is a way of enhancing a broader sense of College community not necessarily at the cost of class unity," said Clagett. "And upperclassmen may act as role models for the first-years."

However, not everyone was enthusiastic about the situation. Joel Simpson '08 was apprehensive about housing freshmen in Prescott House.

"Living with upperclassmen is fine, but Prescott is far, removed," said Simpson. "Some of them may love it there, but if I were a freshman, I personally would want to be closer to everybody else."

While acknowledging the strain this large student body exerts, Dean of the College Tim Spears commented on the potential for enhanced dynamism with a populous campus.

"A larger campus population brings more student energy into the mix," wrote Spears in an e-mail. "In fact, I've been struck by the positive reaction that some students have to the higher enrollment, the possibility, for instance, that we might have more talented musicians on campus than we would if the first-year class was smaller."

However, not all students echoed Spears' optimism. Merisha Enoe '08, for example, is concerned about the possible effects on the faculty-student ratio.

"It is especially noticeable in first-year Chinese classes," said Enoe. "There are 66 first-year Chinese students, and individual attention is diluted."

According to Director of Institutional Research Rebecca Brodigan, the faculty-student ratio may have changed marginally, but by and large stays at 9:1. There have also been efforts to open new class sections and additional First-Year Seminars.

In contrast with the general hullabaloo surrounding the burgeoning student population, the first-years, who have not witnessed the College without them and hence have no experience to compare to, most naturally remain somewhat aloof to this change.

"It's no big deal," said Seira and his friends.

"Some classes are a little crowded," said Robert Nicol '11. "But other than that, I don't feel anything special about being a member of a big class."