Newswise — When the class of 2013 begins arriving on the Mount Holyoke campus on September 6, its numbers will include social activists and academic leaders; dedicated environmentalists and athletes; accomplished musicians, dancers, and writers; a Shakespearean actor; the coauthor of a Korean language instruction book; a black belt karate expert; a Syrian tennis champion; and even a circus trapeze artist--among others.
The 574 members of the incoming class were selected from 3,061 applicants, and the diverse group comes from 40 states and 40 countries. The new students will gather for the first time with the greater Mount Holyoke community during the 2009-2010 opening convocation on Wednesday, September 9, at 11:30 am in Gettell Amphitheater.
"Each and every year our first-year students bring a new array of experiences, talents, and perspectives to our community, and this year is certainly no exception," President Joanne V. Creighton said. "We look forward to welcoming the class of 2013 and launching a new and exciting academic year."
Twenty-four percent of the new students are international, with the highest numbers of young women coming from China, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. Another 25 percent of the class are African American, Latina, Asian American, or Native American students.
Thirty percent of the class of 2013 is from New England, 18 percent from Mid-Atlantic states, 9 percent from southern states, 6 percent from central U.S. states, and 11 percent from the West Coast. The most heavily represented states in the class are Massachusetts, New York, California, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
The students are graduates of 477 secondary schools: 59 percent are from public high schools, 30 percent from private schools, and 11 percent from parochial schools. In addition, 49 women are entering Mount Holyoke as transfer students, and 43 newcomers will participate in MHC's Frances Perkins Program for students of nontraditional college age.
Located in South Hadley, MA, Mount Holyoke was founded in 1837 and was the first of the Seven Sisters--the female equivalent of the once predominantly male Ivy League. The model upon which many other women's colleges were patterned, the College has been known for brilliant teaching and academic excellence throughout its long history, and it has a longstanding record as one of the most successful producers of women in the sciences in all of U.S. higher education. In recent years, the school has radically expanded its international reach and now features the most internationally diverse student body of any American college of its kind.
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