Class of 2011 defined by more than just numbers

The cofounder of a long-board company …a Miss Teen New Jersey winner who competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant… the president and co-founder of a student playwrights’ association…a 14-year-old who plans to study chemical engineering…a nationally ranked BMX racer…a ballet dancer who has performed at Lincoln Center. These are just some of the 1,316 exceptional students who the College welcomed as members of the Class of 2011.

Words by Madeline M. Patrick ’10

The Travers 5 residents pictured above were proudly displaying their floor's banner, which they created as part of Welcome Week activities, before Convocation on August 27. © Lors studio

The Travers 5 residents pictured above were proudly displaying their floor’s banner, which they created as part of Welcome Week activities, before Convocation on August 27. © Lors studio

The co-founder of a long-board company … a Miss Teen New Jersey winner who competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant … the president and co-founder of a student playwrights’ association … a 14-year-old who plans to study chemical engineering … a nationally ranked BMX racer … a ballet dancer who has performed at Lincoln Center. These are just some of the 1,316 exceptional students who the College welcomed as members of the Class of 2011.

TCNJ’s Office of Admissions saw a surge in applications, receiving 8,597 this past year —400 more than last year and the most TCNJ has ever received. The increase might be directly linked to an increase in out-of-state interest in the College. Despite having to cut a large portion of its out-of-state scholarship program, the College experienced a 29.4 percent increase in applications from non-New Jersey natives, and a 27.7 percent increase in enrollments from out-of-state students.

The admitted students boast an average SAT score of 1279. Fifty-three percent of the incoming students were National Honor Society members in high school, and nine percent are Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars.

In the area of athletics, 45 percent of the Class of 2011 were varsity athletes; of that percentage, 19 percent were captains of their teams.

Service is also an important characteristic of the Class of 2011. The class features a full-time patient care physician in the emergency department at Princeton University ’s Medical Center, as well as the only female member of her local volunteer fire department.