Duquesne welcomes largest class

Duquesne’s class of 2016 is estimated to be one of the largest and most academically prepared classes in the University’s history.

Approximately 1,520 freshmen from 17 states and 33 countries comprise what is expected to be the largest freshman class in Duquesne’s history, according to Director of Marketing and Communications for Enrollment Management Kelley Maloney.

Maloney said the University will not be able to give confirmed statistics until September, when new students stop being accepted.

This freshman class is also one of the most academically prepared incoming classes in history, with a mean SAT score of 1139, just below 2015’s mean of 1141, the highest score in the University’s history.

“We want to be the University of choice for academically talented and motivated students,” Maloney said.

According to a survey done by the admissions department, 97 percent of the surveyed incoming students said Duquesne was their top-choice school, meaning first-or-second-choice, as compared to 95 percent in 2011.

Maloney said she thinks Duquesne has found success with marketing itself as a top-tier university and targeting high-scoring students.

“When you look at the academic achievement of our incoming freshmen … and that 97 percent of them ranked Duquesne as their first or second choice, it’s a successful combination,” she said.

Duquesne has also continued its trend of becoming more selective in recent years, accepting 75 percent of approximately 6,668 applicants in the past year. That ranks as the University’s fourth most selective application process, with 2011’s percentage of 70 percent remaining the most selective.

The primary reasons for choosing to attend Duquesne shifted slightly, with program of study remaining the students’ top reason, followed by urban location, size of the University and academic reputation. In 2011, incoming students named academic reputation and urban location as their second and third primary reasons for attending Duquesne.

The University’s Orientation program, which began Wednesday and will continue through Sunday, will be used to help students acclimate to college life at Duquesne.

Orientation Director Becca Kopcie said the goal every year is to make the transition as smooth as possible for the new freshmen.

“We want to make sure everyone falls in love with Duquesne,” said Kopcie, a psychology major who is a third year participant in Duquesne’s Orientation program.

The program has impressed newly appointed Director of Freshman Development and Students Service Sean Weaver. Weaver, who has specialized in student services at several universities including Princeton University and Georgetown University, said one of the program’s bigger advantages is the focus put on freshman development.

“Duquesne is in a better situation,” Weaver said. “[Other schools] I’ve worked at have had no office dedicated to freshman development.”

Kopcie agreed and described the program and department as a “close-knit family.”

For Brian Bost, a sophomore history major and assistant Orientation director, Duquesne’s size allows for a more involved orientation program for the incoming freshmen and provides an easy transition into college life.

“It is easier for the freshmen to have a familiar face on campus,” Bost said.