On Sunday, August 21, the Class of 2020 arrived on Colgate’s campus and met their fellow classmates, all of whom are from different parts of the world. 

The Admission Officers who work at the Hurwitz Admission Center were in charge of choosing the Class of 2020’s student body. They collaborated with Dean of Admission Gary Ross in selecting a class that contained different backgrounds, qualities and personal experiences. 

The Class of 2020 Profile, located on Colgate’s website, includes general information and statistics about all the students who applied and were accepted to the university this year. The website listed the following statistics about this year’s class.

“The class was chosen from 8,394 applicants representing 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 138 countries. Admitted students had an average GPA of 3.8 and an average combined SAT of 1416 (critical reading and math).”

Of the 8,394 applicants who applied, 2,410 students were admitted and 775 students enrolled.

Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Gary Ross provided more insight into what he was looking for in a college student during the most recent application process.

“The most important factor in evaluating a student’s application is the quality of the academic record, so we look at the courses they have taken, the challenges they have embraced when selecting classes and, of course, how they did in those classes. However, that is not the only thing we considered. It’s the most important thing, but we also considered standardized testing results, and we give a great weight to teacher and counselor evaluations,” Ross said.

“We want to make sure that students are active, involved and engaged in the Colgate classroom and that they are going to come to class prepared. We certainly consider the application essay as well, because it gives students a private time with the admission committee [to] discuss what’s important to them. Finally, since we are located in a rural community, it is really important that students give back to the campus and community in some way. Based on the Class of 2020’s applications, I believe they can impact our community for the better,” Ross said. 

Creating a more diverse class was one of Ross’ top priorities. This year, there were 3,699 applications from multicultural students. Of those students, 800 were admitted and 210 enrolled, making up 27.1 percent of the first-year students. 

“We definitely seek diversity, and diversity can be measured in many different ways. Typically, when people talk about diversity, they are talking about racial diversity. We [strive] to make Colgate a more inclusive community. We have a tremendous opportunity to go to some high schools, where we can see students who come from different diverse backgrounds. It doesn’t mean a high school would necessarily have a more diverse background of students, but many of them do. We work very closely with Community Based Organizations that really focus on the effort to prepare these students to be more competitive applicants for different universities,” Ross said.

Admission Fellow senior Katrina Stevenson was inspired to work in the Office of Admission because of her passion for meeting prospective students. Her experience working there gives her an opportunity to learn about prospective students’ personalities, and she enjoys providing a fun and less stressful college visit for these students.

“Last summer, I worked for the Office of Admission as a summer

intern, giving tours and working on a variety of communication projects,” Stevenson said. 

“I love meeting prospective students and sharing my experience on campus. Being able to connect with students coming from all over the United States and around the world is an exciting experience,” Stevenson said.

First-year Grace Campbell reflected on her decision to attend Colgate.

“When I [visited] Colgate, I felt at home and at peace because it was nice that the campus was pretty and the people were really friendly. I remember thinking that if I were to go to Colgate, I would [find] a place where the campus, students and professors [are] nice and that was the close-knit environment I was looking for,” Campbell said.

Ross looks forward to meeting each new student and hopes that the Class of 2020 will bring a feeling of positivity and excitement to the campus.

“We have four terrific classes enrolled at Colgate. However, what I would say differentiates the Class of 2020 is that I cannot think of a student in this particular class who has not really had some sort of significant impact on their school or their community. It is very exciting to see a class that is filled with doers and achievers,” Ross said.

“We have four very friendly classes – four classes who really seem to demonstrate the Colgate values. More specifically, I am not sure if I have ever seen a class that has come in before, where the appreciation for Colgate values of being a friendly, supportive community has been [so] evident. The first-years understand what they are getting into and are very eager to be a part of it. The three upper classes should be very excited for the enthusiasm that the Class of 2020 is bringing,” Ross said.