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NEW STUDENT CONVOCATION 2005

Ted Spencer, Director of Undergraduate Admissions
September 1, 2005

Good evening, I’m Ted Spencer, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions.

As the Director of Undergraduate Admissions, I have the responsibility and great pleasure of identifying and admitting outstanding students to the undergraduate programs here at the University of Michigan.

  • This year, we received over 23,000 applications for some 5,500 or more enrolling freshmen, which meant that the selection process was one of the most competitive ever. But, one of the greatest rewards of my job this year, was being able to select an outstanding class of students from one of the most well-qualified pool of applicants we have ever had—and, equally impressive—you, the Class of 2009, has the distinction of being one of the largest classes in our history.

  • Now, each year when I give this presentation, I say to the entering class that “this is the most talented class in the history of the University.”

  • So, once again I can say without hesitation, “this year’s class is also among the most talented—but the distinction is that your class was more actively engaged and academically well-qualified than any other class in the history of the University of Michigan.”

The Class of 2009 is truly outstanding, because its members have accomplished so much during their years in high school.

This year's entering class—your class—will perform well at Michigan because it consists of students who are exceptional in both academic and extra curricular endeavors, and who I feel will contribute to the vitality of the University of Michigan.

Consequently, I can assure the faculty and administration that the Class of 2009 meets or exceeds all the measurements we use for admission.

Let me now share with you some of your exceptional achievements.

In high school:

  • Last year, 25% of the Class of 2008, were elected to at least one student government office. This year, 28% of you held leadership positions in student government offices.

  • Over 20% of your class received all-city, all-league, all-county or all-state awards in athletics.

  • And while in high school, more than 45% of you presented musical recitals at places such as Carnegie Hall—And almost 55% of you play a musical instrument.

Now, your well-roundedness and leadership potential are further illustrated by the following data:

  • Some 35% of your class have volunteered in a community health setting and nearly 60% of the class have participated in civics projects—which is up 3% from last year.

    And some 30% have received an award for community service.

  • This year, approximately 20% have published poems, stories, essays, and articles or have worked as editors of their high school newspapers or yearbooks.

  • And, astonishingly, once again this year approximately 10% of the class have started their own businesses.

Now, while all of this may sound remarkable, there is even more:

  • Over 1700 members of the class scored between 650 and 800 on the Verbal portion of the SAT—an increase of 8% from last year! And, amazingly, more than 2600 students scored 650 or better on the Math portion—and 14 members attained a total perfect score of 1600.

  • Among those who took the ACT:

    • This year, 33% of the class had a composite score between 30 and 36—continuing the upward trend of the last 3 years. And, in comparison, only 4% of students nationwide achieved that outstanding level.

    • In addition, among this class, there were 320 perfect scores of 36 on at least one section of the ACT.

Now, while test scores are important in the admissions process, academic grade-point average carries the greatest weight.

  • This year, the average HS GPA for the entire entering class is 3.80. And, almost 1400 members achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in H.S.!

  • Also, approximately 22% of the Class of 2009 is in the Top 1% of their graduating high school class. While almost 90% ranked in the Top 10% of their graduating class—Proving once again, that this year’s class excelled across all the academic indices that I have mentioned.

  • In addition, more than 2300 students were members of a high school academic honor society—and that is an increase of 19% over last year!

And, perhaps, one of the most incredible achievements of this class is that almost 3,800 of you received scores of 3 or higher on Advanced Placement tests, which means that most of you will be eligible to enter the University of Michigan with college credit.

I am proud, to also say, that this year's class is once again very diverse—adding to our rich and vibrant campus community with strong representation of students from every racial, ethnic, social, and religious background.

  • Also, women again comprise 51% of the entering class.

  • And this year, our overall enrollment of underrepresented minorities increased by 16%!

  • Further evidence of this class's diversity is illustrated with incoming students from 1,936 different high schools, which is up for the second year.

  • ALSO…the incoming class has students from all 50 states and 45 countries—joining a student body that represents over 100 countries from around the globe.

  • In addition, nearly 15% of this year’s class are from a socio-economically disadvantaged background, a single parent home, or are the first generation to attend college.

  • And, I’m also pleased to report that approximately 65% of the entire freshmen class received scholarships from the University of Michigan or from outside sources.

Finally, let me again congratulate both you and your parents for your outstanding achievements.

So, to the administration, faculty and staff of the University of Michigan, I present to you some of the best and brightest students in this country as well as the world. I present to you the Class of 2009.



Questions? Comments? Please send e-mail to diversitymatters@umich.edu.
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