Features
Each fall a new class of freshmen arrive on campus, bringing the students’ energy, ideas, and goals for the next four years with them. In that regard, the Class of 2012 is no different from the previous 158 classes of first-year students who have made Rochester the place where they want to earn their degrees.
But increasingly, admissions officials say, high school students are seeking out Rochester in ways that they haven’t before. This year’s entering class, for example, has about 100 more students than last year’s, and the 2012 class set a new record for the number of students who were accepted for admission and chose to enroll.
Jonathan Burdick, dean of admissions and financial aid, says one of the main reasons for the growth is the success of Rochester’s curriculum, in which students have considerable freedom to map a course of study that appeals to them.
But he says admissions officials also pay close attention to making sure potential students and Rochester fit well together—in ways that are right for each.
“Every student is different and that’s the joy of it,” Burdick says.
Here are brief snapshots of some of those students.
Robin L. Flanigan is a Rochester-based freelance writer.
