Cars have been unloaded. New roommates have spent their first nights in their new home. Parents have bid farewell. The class photo on DiSanto Field has been captured. And with that, we welcome the Case Western Reserve University Class of 2023.
This weekend, roughly 1,360 first-years, as well as 60 transfer students, arrived at Case Western Reserve. While there will be plenty to learn about these students as they navigate their college careers, we wanted to give the campus community an overview of the new class with some interesting statistics.
The new students were chosen from 28,987 applications, resulting in an acceptance rate of 27%—marking the most selective admissions year in the university’s history.
“We chose you because we saw the kinds of characteristics that define a successful CWRU student. Not only the exceptional academic qualifications, but the ambition, the drive, the creativity to make the most of your undergraduate experience,” said Robert McCullough, assistant vice president for enrollment and dean of undergraduate admission, in his remarks at yesterday’s university welcome. “We saw students who are passionate and dedicated, who—whether they have a clear path in mind for their future or whether they are explorers—know that they’re going to take full advantage of the experiences that come their way.”
Read on to learn more about the makeup of the Class of 2023.
Where they’re from
Members of the Class of 2023 represent 46 states in addition to Guam, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and 24 countries.
They hail from the following areas:
- Middle Atlantic: 25%
- Ohio: 18%
- West and southwest: 14%
- Outside the U.S.: 13%
- Midwest: 12%
- South: 10%
- New England: 6%
Members of the Class of 2023 hold citizenship in 56 countries. For 29% of the students, English was not their first language, and for 40%, a language other than English is spoken in the home, comprising more than 46 languages total.
The students graduated from more than 1,000 different high schools, with 57% of students being the only ones in the class from their school to attend Case Western Reserve.
For 13% of students, they are the first generation in their families to go to college.
What they do
Before coming to Case Western Reserve, members of the Class of 2023 were involved in a variety of ways at their schools and in their communities, such as:
- Volunteer work: 76%
- Sports: 68%
- Arts: 56%
- Part-time job: 41%
- Student government: 25%
What comes next
As Discover Week continues, the students will engage in programming through Sunday, Aug. 25, with opportunities to learn more about campus and Cleveland. Take a look at photos from Discover Week so far.
Then, on Monday, Aug. 26, they will head to their first of many classes as Case Western Reserve University students.
Have advice for the Class of 2023 as they embark on their journey at Case Western Reserve? Share it in the comment section below.