Dr. Matthew Mariola led discussions on the major on Dec. 1 and 5 in Lowry Student Center (Photo by Saeed Husain).
Claire Montgomery
Contributing Writer
Applications for admission to the class of 2022 at Wooster have set records, both for the total number of applicants and the number of applications that came from international students. 6,073 applications for admission were submitted, over 1,500 of which came from outside the United States.
Scott Friedhoff, vice president for enrollment and college relations, attributed the records to the College’s marketing efforts, as well as the desirability of its curriculum. He said that these advantages also extended to Wooster’s success at attracting international applicants.
“Students and their parents are recognizing the value of a Wooster education,” Friedhoff said. “We have been very intentional in our marketing and recruitment efforts to expand Wooster’s global footprint.”
Jill Munro, director of international student services, said that she was excited by the record number of international student applicants. She added that outreach to international students was part of the campus’s responsibility to learn from new perspectives.
“The greater the diversity of the incoming class, the richer and deeper the life of the entire campus community. International students bring their cultural diversity, but they also bring a myriad of other identities,” Munro said, giving first-generation student status, socio-economic background and LGBTQ+ identities as examples. “It is imperative that students, faculty and staff reach out, desire to learn and … recognize the great value these students bring to our community.”
The number of international students who apply to and enroll at The College of Wooster has continued to increase since 2013, despite a recent decreasing trend in the United States as a whole. Munro said that she believed personal outreach had made the difference for Wooster’s international admissions efforts.
“I think the fact that our international student applicant numbers continue to rise … speaks to not only the wonderful job that Reon Sines-Sheaff does as our international admissions director, but [also] to the growing positive reputation Wooster has in the international market,” Munro said. “I also believe the outreach and personal success stories of Wooster international alumni have influenced many students to apply.”
While a record number of applications were received and competition from other schools is strong, Jennifer Winge, dean of admissions, said that she did not expect the enrollment goals for next year’s class to change dramatically. As a result, she predicts Wooster will have to be more selective than usual for its incoming class.
“Because so many of the students that are applying for admission here are also applying to some of the top institutions in the country — and now the world — we will need to admit more [students],” Winge said. “Nevertheless, we anticipate admitting a smaller percentage of our applicant pool.”
“The first-year class size has been 550-580, in round numbers, over the last seven years,” Winge said. “We expect to be in that range again this year.”
Winge added that while she did not expect the number of international students who enrolled to change dramatically either, she felt a smaller increase was still “very possible.”