A Most Impressive Incoming Class

Granting nearly 25% of NC State’s undergraduate degrees, CHASS awards more undergraduate degrees than any other college at the university.

Take a peek at the statistics of admitted and incoming students, and you will have no doubt that while the size of the college is impressive, the quality of entering students is outstanding. And by the numbers, the incoming freshmen class of 2013 is more extraordinary than ever:

390 incoming students
86.5 percent in state, 13.5 percent out-of-state
40.4 percent in top ten percent of graduating class
1212 average SAT (Math and Critical Reading) score
4.30 average high school GPA
6 Park Scholars

Earlier this spring, Caldwell Lounge filled with many of these students shortly after they had been admitted. CHASS held visitation events to give newly admitted students and their parents a chance to meet with departmental advisers, attend classes, and get their questions answered by faculty members and current students.

While they were here, a couple of prospective students shared some of the reasons they applied to CHASS.

Sarah Jackson of Henderson, N.C., found CHASS was so appealing that she refrained from even applying to university other than NC State. As the daughter of an alum, Jackson spent a lot of her childhood in Wolfpack red. Although this piqued her interest of the university, Jackson was drawn to CHASS by her experiences with the college during summer camps for high school students. Keeping up with the college’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) online for most of high school, Jackson is impressed by the department and its accomplishments and hopes to enroll as a Political Science major this fall.

At the other end of the college-application-process spectrum, Paxton Rizzo threw her hat into the ring at 12 different universities. The Winston-Salem, N.C., senior aims to major in Psychology and Criminology. Rizzo can pinpoint the exact moment that CHASS caught her attention: last fall Rizzo read about Dr. Sarah Desmarais joining the  college faculty. Desmarais’ experience as a forensic psychologist and background in mental health and criminal justice are in line with Rizzo’s plans and aspirations.

As the college celebrates its 50th year, it’s clear: the caliber of CHASS students continues to rise, and their opportunities to explore and learn continue to expand.

By Alyssa Putt, CHASS Communication Intern