Oberlin College recently welcomed 796 incoming students to its Class of 2011. “They come from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Some live just down the street while others have traveled from 26 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe,” said Debra Chermonte, dean of admissions and financial aid. She and David Stull, dean of the Conservatory of Music, spoke at a welcome event and concert for incoming students and their families.

More than two-thirds of the diverse new class had academically ranked within the top 10 percent in their high schools. They were selected from more than 7,150 applicants to Oberlin’s College of Arts and Sciences and its Conservatory of Music. “The academic quality of entering classes has continued to sustain Oberlin’s well-earned reputation for offering a rigorous education,” Chermonte said.

Matriculating students include 162 students of color, 43 transfer students, and 93 international students (61 entering on foreign visas, 27 dual citizens, and five permanent residents). The class also includes 41 high school valedictorians, 34 children of Oberlin alumni (legacies), and 37 double-degree students (music and arts and sciences).
Nearly 22 percent of the new class is enrolled in the Conservatory of Music. Many are alumni of prestigious youth orchestras and have already performed with professional symphonies touring the United States, Europe, or Asia. “They are musical leaders and the pride of their high school music programs,” said Chermonte.

Oberlin’s highly respected College of Arts and Sciences welcomed 635 first-year students, including a recipient of the prestigious INTEL Science and Engineering Award, a top contender on the national Japanese exam, a volunteer with the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy, a participant in the University of Virginia’s Young Writer’s Workshop, and an emerging scientist who conducted independent research in DNA profiling.

“Your abilities to lead others are numerous,” Chermonte told the students. “Thirty-four of you served as class officers or as student senate leaders; 117 of you were captains of 142 different athletic teams, and 95 of you were editors of a literary magazine, newspaper or yearbook.” As a group, 518 members of the incoming class have held leadership positions in over 800 organizations.

International students arrived from Afghanistan, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, China, the Philippines, Korea, Serbia-Montenegro, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe this year.

The top 10 states from which domestic students enrolled this year are: New York, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, and Indiana.

“As you settle into life as Oberlin students, I know that all of your gifts—and those yet to be discovered—will make a lasting impression on this community and the world,” said Chermonte.