Shawn RiceThe Admissions department at Cabrini has been receiving more applications than ever before. The number of applications for this year’s current freshman class went up 26 percent. The rejection of students has also gone up to 18 percent from last year’s 13 percent. 436 applicants were rejected upon application this past year.
Compared to the current sophomore class’s average SAT scores, the freshman class scores have gone up 33 points. Nationally, the average of SATs went up 6 points in the past year.
Since 1999 the incoming freshman class has grown significantly. The freshman class of 1999 had 248 students and this year’s existing freshman class has 403 students. “An ideal number for students would be around 375,” Gary Johnson, dean of Admissions, said.
The enrollment deadline at Cabrini is rolling, which means that applications are processed as they are received so that students do not have to wait until March to find out the decision. In order for students to be considered for acceptance at Cabrini they must send a $25 non-refundable fee along with a completed two-page written application. Neither an essay nor letters of recommendation are required, but they do play a major role in the acceptance process. “An essay gives the student an opportunity to share something about them that is not seen on the application,” Johnson said.
Numerous letters of recommendation are often received by the admissions department that are sent from high school guidance counselors even though they are not required. In most cases the letters are part of the Common Application, which students increasingly use. For the Common Application the guidance counselor and a teacher write letters that are automatically sent to all the colleges of a student’s choice. These letters help give the admissions counselor a better idea of who the prospective students are, and what they may offer the school once they are accepted.
Admissions are in search for an innovative student body to add to the dynamic of Cabrini College. One aspect of change that the admissions department has been working on has been trying to attract more students from different geographic areas. As of now approximately 70 percent of students are from Pennsylvania. The college is sending out recruits to high schools in north Jersey to diversify the student body. High schools in Connecticut and West Virginia are also targets for prospective students to broaden the demographics of Cabrini’s population. “The more we have to choose from, the better off we are,” Johnson said.
Posted to the web by Shawn Rice
