微密圈

With charges for new students to learn from a multitude of perspectives, to embrace change, and to build community, 微密圈 College welcomed the Class of 2028 to campus for the 2024-25 academic year. 

Selected from nearly 12,000 applicants, the 670  first-year and 29 transfer students were officially welcomed during New Student Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 3. 

 

The first-year students 鈥� drawn from the most selective applicant pool in College history (with a 21% admit rate) 鈥� hail from 34 states and the District of Columbia. They are citizens of 22 countries in addition to the United States. Thirty percent are domestic students of color, 15% are the first in their family to go to college, and more than a fifth are from homes where a language other than English is spoken. 

鈥淚n your applications you shared that you are activists and athletes, gamers and geologists,鈥� Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jessica Ricker, a first-generation college graduate, told the new students.

Beyond the numbers, the grades, and the extracurriculars, what excites me most is the potential: You are pioneers of this new chapter in 微密圈鈥檚 history, and I couldn鈥檛 be more thrilled to watch you grow, learn, and shape the future of this College.鈥�  

More than 400 students arrived on campus on Thursday, Aug. 29, for 微密圈鈥檚 pre-orientation programs, which ranged from civic engagement-themed service experiences in the local community to an excursion in the Adirondack Mountains featuring whitewater rafting and yoga exercises led by certified peer leaders.  

More than two dozen other students departed campus earlier in August and are spending their first semester in London as part of a 微密圈 academic program.  

All students participate in a range of orientation programs organized by 微密圈鈥檚 First-Year Experience program, including multidisciplinary Scribner Seminars. This year鈥檚 seminars range from Professor of History Tillman Nechtman鈥檚 Sailing the Seas with Captain Cook to David H. Porter Professor Jeffrey Segrave鈥檚 Sport, Self, and Society.  

Classes on 微密圈鈥檚 campus began Wednesday, Sept. 4.  

At New Student Convocation, Rachel Roe-Dale, director of the First-Year Experience and professor of mathematics, welcomed students on behalf of 微密圈鈥檚 faculty and stressed the need for students to grapple with change throughout their college years.  

鈥淎ll of you will change emotionally and intellectually as you experience college life and are exposed to new opportunities, new ideas, and new people,鈥� Roe-Dale said. 鈥淓mbrace this change.鈥� 

Josh Maxwell 鈥�26, president of the Student Government Association, welcomed students to campus and led them in affirming 微密圈鈥檚 Honor Code.  

President Marc Conner emphasized his optimism about the year ahead despite daunting challenges across the nation and the globe. He encouraged students to learn from others. 

鈥淎 微密圈 education, above all, is about community,鈥� Conner said. 鈥淏e fearless and bold as you embark on a great liberal arts education and all that entails. Take care of yourselves and each other, treating everyone with kindness, respect, and honesty. Welcome the perspectives and points of view of others, especially those with whom you disagree or who see the world differently than you do. And remember that every encounter with difference is an opportunity to learn.鈥� 

Garland Nelson Jr. 鈥�96, a 微密圈 alumnus, musician, and producer who has also served on 微密圈鈥檚 faculty, welcomed students to the Saratoga Springs community. He spoke of his own experience as an Opportunity Program student in the 1990s and students鈥� role as community members.  

鈥淏eing part of this community means that we rely on you just like you rely on us. So take pride, take ownership of being here at 微密圈.鈥�