By Andy Matarrese
As the number of applicants for UP grows every year, the school will be able to select applicants to find students that better fit the "ideal" student profile, where the students have the highest likelihood to succeed academically and contribute to the campus culture.
According to UP Institutional Research, over 9,000 people applied for the 2009 school year, up from over 8,000 the year before and over 7,000 in 2007.
"The more applications you have the more opportunities you have to be selective," Dean of Admissions Jason McDonald said.
When choosing who is admitted to UP, McDonald said his department looks for students who seem like they will excel in the classroom and will be active on campus and in the Portland community.
"We're looking for a student that is going to academically succeed at UP," he said.
The sought-after student "will also take advantage of opportunities on campus and in the Portland area to contribute through leadership and participation."
He said more aggressive marketing of the priority applications, which are free for applicants, as well as widened recruitment efforts by the Office of Admissions to different parts of the country like Texas, Missouri and Minnesota, have contributed to the increase in the number of applicants.
According to McDonald, the overall academic profile of incoming students has increased gradually over the year.
Incoming students' average GPA for 2009 was 3.66 and the average SAT score was 1188. In 2001, the average student's GPA coming into UP was 3.58 and his SAT score was 1140.
That doesn't necessarily mean current UP seniors who tried applying now with their high school records wouldn't make it in, but McDonald did admit that alumni from 10 years ago might have a bit of trouble.
"We're bringing in, I think, more high achieving students academically," he said. "That's what having more applications allows you to do."
English professor Herman Asarnow agreed, saying UP has done a better job in his mind of bringing in more academically ambitious students over the past five years.
"I think that people are quite able, and that's terrific," he said, adding that having more engaged students is more fun for the professors and makes time in the classroom more engaging for other students.
By looking at application essays or writing samples, test scores, GPAs and class schedules, Admissions is able to form a more complete picture of potential students.
"We do a holistic approach," McDonald said. "It's not just grades and test scores."
The hope is, according to McDonald, that every student accepted is able to bring something to campus, whether it's something from their religious, academic, extracurricular, artistic or cultural background.
"All of that: Intellectual ability, diversity of experience and culture creates the optimal experience for students," Asarnow said.
