Bill Shain could only describe the admissions process for the Class of 2011?his first as dean of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin?by saying that to call the process "stressful" would be an understatement.
The acceptance rate for the Class of 2011 is the lowest in Bowdoin College history.
"This year's was 18.5 percent, with only 16 percent admitted in the regular round. That's brutal," said Shain.
The acceptance rate for the Class of 2010 was 20.6 percent.
Though the number of applications increased by 10 percent, Bowdoin is not ready to expand the size of the first-year class. Last year 1,170 students were admitted, while only 1,105 students were admitted this year.
"We went out tight, hoping to leave room for students on the wait list," said Shain.
In addition to accepting fewer students, there were other noticeable differences between this year and past years, including increases in the number of students coming from public schools and the number of students from the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as a marked decrease in the number of students hailing from the West.
"There are a number of differences that people assume are conscious," said Shain. "But they're not."
There were also changes in statistics related to students of color. The Office of Admissions reports that there was a significant increase in minority applicants.
"We use the term students of color, but the truth is that each group that we look at is highly individualized," said Shain.
While 30 percent more African American and Latino students were admitted to the Class of 2011 than to the Class of 2010, fewer Asian American students were admitted than last year.
Shain said that he didn't know of any innovations this year that may have increased the number of minority applicants.
"It's probably the momentum of the college. We are better known now," he said. "We've only been working hard towards becoming multicultural in the last five years, and it's taken about that long to really develop relationships with schools and agencies."
More evidence that Bowdoin has been successful in recruiting students of color is in the numbers of the Bowdoin Experience, a multicultural hosting event for admitted students taking place this weekend.
"Fifty-three [students] attended the multicultural hosting event last year. This year it's 91," said Shain.
Another striking aspect of the character of this year's Class of 2011 is that while 573 men were admitted, only 532 women were admitted.
"Our yield of women has kept going up the last few years, which leads to a disproportion," said Shain. "We don't want to have less than 48 percent of either gender because of so many things. It would impact housing, academic programs, and it would change the way people relate to one another on campus."
Shain also emphasized that the male students who were admitted were no less qualified than the female students.
"The percentage of men we admitted was higher, but there wasn't a difference between the strength of the files," he said.
Shain's also initiated changes in the actual admissions process during his first year. Admissions officers visited 10 percent more high schools than in previous years. Acceptance letters were also mailed a week earlier.
"It's more consistent with the rhythm of the admissions process, and gives an extra week for people who have to travel to campus to plan their visits," he said.
Shain, who was the dean of undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University before coming to Bowdoin in July 2006, said that the admissions program will be re-examined in May and June.
"We will be redesigning all the admissions publications, expanding direct mailings, analyzing and expanding travel, working hard to develop communications protocol, and will be getting one more admissions officer," he said.
"That's a partial list," he added.