Members of the Class of 2005, the newest additions to the Pomona College community, set several records before they even arrived in Claremont.

The average SAT scores of matriculating students are the highest they have ever been.

"We weren’t really looking for grades or scores," Dean of Admissions Bruce Poch says, "but for lively and interesting people who aren’t afraid of bouncing ideas off each other."

In spite of this, the median score for the SAT-I test was 720 points; the verbal mean was 714.5, and the math average was 711.3.

Geographically, the freshman class is more diverse than in the past several years. Most applicants were from California, and although 30.9 percent of current freshmen hail from this state, the remaining students come from across the U.S. and from around the world. Other Western states made up 18.7 percent of the freshman class, Northeastern states made up 15.9 percent, Northwestern states constituted 13.7 percent and Midwestern states created 11.9 percent to round out the top regions.

The class is ethnically diverse as well. It boasts the largest percentage of African-American students (7 percent) in about a generation, according to Poch. The percentages of white and mixed-race students also increased, but the percentages of Latinos (8 percent) and Asians (13 percent) declined this year. Small fluctuations are normal, however, and the percentage of students who chose not to respond to the question also increased. Most non-responders tended to be either white or Asian, Poch notes.

Some students feel that there is a distinct deficiency in the assortment of students on campus. Lisa Kwak ’03 said, "I’m shocked at the lack of diversity of campus. Compared to other liberal arts colleges, we have a very small international population."

The interests of entering students are often as varied as their backgrounds. Three-fourths participated in community service in high school, while 65 percent were involved in athletics. Forty-six percent enjoy performing music. Many students also participated in publications, debate, theater, and student government while in high school (though time obligations in college usually don’t permit the same breadth of extracurricular activities as high school). Kwak summed it up best, when she said, "In high school, it’s possible to be involved in many activities, but that’s not true in college because to be truly successful, you need to put in much more time and effort."

Is this year’s class much different from previous years?

"Not markedly," Poch said. After reviewing their applications, Poch characterized the class in general as "sparky, not uptight. It’s just a little looser, a real subtle shift." He said the admissions officers, who visit approximately 600 high schools each year, looked specifically for "people who were not going to be cut-throat and who would want to work with other students."

Freshman Laura Nixon felt that her classmates are indeed good company.

"My classmates are really friendly and decent," Nixon said. "In my classes, they all seem very supportive and engaged."

Many Pomona first-years enjoy the support of the sponsor group system.

"Sponsor groups are the best things I could have hoped for," freshman John Fuetsch said.

Living in halls with other freshmen seems to contribute to a more fun and relaxed atmosphere.

"It’s slightly different from what I pictured," freshman Jennifer Hardee said. "It’s more like summer camp than I envisioned."

Others have a different picture of life at college, as grueling academics take over a large proportion of students’ lives.

Jim Stier ’05 felt that "the academics are fairly difficult," but he expected that. He went on to say, "The hardest part is trying to study and do my homework with tons of other people running down the hall and distracting me." As for classes, Stier said, "Science is fairly dry and not very interesting, but I like what I’ve done in my humanities classes so far."

The Office of Admissions received a total of 3,712 applications, and about 28 percent of applicants were admitted. The admissions officers had originally planned for 375 enrollees, but 393 students accepted their offers of admission.

"There is no planned growth," Poch said, so to compensate for the 18 extras, Pomona "brutalized transfer students" by accepting fewer than usual. Overall, only 3 percent of transfer students were admitted.

There are slightly more men (201) than women (192) in the matriculating freshman class. Nineteen percent of freshmen are the first generation in their families to attend college, and 53 percent receive grants.

For some freshmen, financial aid played a significant role in the decision-making process. "They gave me great financial aid, and I hardly have to pay anything," freshman Young Mi Kim said. "But I came here because Pomona was the best school I got into."

Although most students seem to give positive feedback for the school, others seem a little disappointed. As Marina Miteva ’05 would like to make known, "I expected there to be more diversity, both ethnic and cultural, at this school."