Class of 2014 arrives on campus

This year over 18,000 students vied for a spot in the class of 2014, an admission pool which was  a 201 percent increase in applicants since 2001. Of the 18,458 students who applied, 3,793 students were offered admission with 1,249 students actually matriculating this year.

The number of students matriculating this year decreased, compared to the 1,350 students who matriculated last year. This may have been due to less students being admitted this year. Last year the admit rate was 27 percent while this year it decreased to 21 percent.

Due to last year’s high admit rate, the current sophomore class is over enrolled. University Spokesman Dennis O’Shea said, “The Admissions Office was very careful this year to be conservative. The amount of freshmen we admitted this year was at a much better place.”

The mean SAT I combined score for the class of 2014 was 1402 and the mean un-weighted academic GPA was 3.72.

There are a total of 184 underrepresented minority students in the class of 2014, the composition of which is 6.5 percent African American/Black, 7.7percent Hispanic/Latino, and 0.5 percent Native American/Alaskan/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander for an overall percentage of 14.7 percent being underrepresented minority students.

Compared to last year’s underrepresented minority student mix of 5.9 percent African American/Black, 6.8 percent Hispanic/Latino and 0.2 percent Native American/Alaskan/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander for a total of 12.9 percent of the class of 2013 being underrepresented minority students, the class of 2014 had an increase in the enrollment of underrepresented minorities.

“The University is committed to admitting a diverse class and it looks like we did a good job with that,” O’Shea said.

While both sexes are roughly equally represented in the class of 2014, males are slightly ahead with 52 percent of the class being male and 48 percent female. The ratio of males to females this year stayed relatively the same compared to last year’s ratio, where 53 percent of the class of 2013 was male and 47 percent female.

This year’s freshmen represent 44 states, plus Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.  The top 5 states that are represented are New York (182), New Jersey (153), Maryland (121), California (113) and Pennsylvania (87).

The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences has an enrollment of 65 percent of the class of 2014 whereas 35 percent are enrolled in the Whiting School of Engineering.

Members of the class of 2014 chose Hopkins for many reasons. One such freshman, Marissa Jarosinkski, a biology major, came to Hopkins for its biology program. She also liked the fact that Hopkins does not have a core curriculum.

“I like that I can choose classes from various disciplines,” she said.

Despite Hopkins’ reputation as a difficult, cutthroat school, her experience here was somewhat of a surprise to her.

“It was a lot easier than I expected,” Jarosinski said. “I haven’t struggled in any of classes yet.”

In her four years here she hopes to establish herself in both her academic and extracurricular endeavors.

“I definitely want to be on the Dean’s List,” she said. “And I want to be as involved as possible in things other than class.”

Another freshman, Erika Rodriguez from Miami, initially applied to Hopkins for its renowned pre-medical program. She wanted to go to a school with a strong science program because of her hopes to attend medical school. While it was Hopkins’ strong reputation for the sciences that led her to apply here, it was ultimately her gut feeling that led her to enroll.

“The moment I stepped on campus, I felt at home,” Rodriguez said. “I can’t really explain. This is the only campus I visited, but I felt good here.”

College classes have not fazed Rodriguez either. Rodriguez was enrolled in a dual enrollment program at her high school in Miami called the School for Advanced Studies where she took college classes in the morning and high school classes for the second half of the day. So the Hopkins workload was not a surprise to her.

“The workload was kind of what I expected. I knew what college courses would be like and what a college courseload would feel like,” said Rodriguez.

Her classes are not the only aspect she wants to excel in either. During her four years here, “I want to make sure that when I leave I want to leave some of me behind, whether it is starting a club or something else,” Rodriguez said.

“The campus itself is so beautiful, aesthetically pleasing,” she added. “I feel so lucky to be here.”

It seems like Rodriguez’s freshmen year is off to a good start. Just like the class of 2014.