I definitely saw this at my college.
Admissions officers said all summer that they had little idea what they might see when students arrived for the fall semester. Hitting bull’s-eye on the projected size of a freshman class is an inexact science in the best of times. And given the volatile economy, a rash of last-minute no-shows seemed possible.
Two weeks before school, administrators were closing sections.
But then… the students showed up.
The freshmen arrived in a flood, forcing the Johns Hopkins University to reopen a defunct residence hall, lease a nearby inn and create new sections of popular math and science courses.
Those might sound like steps required in a robust economy, when a $54,500 annual price tag would be little impediment to students seeking a prestigious education. The twist is that all of it happened in the past three weeks.
Conventional wisdom held that the deep recession might push students away from expensive private schools such as Hopkins to lower-priced alternatives. Instead, the university is coping with a freshman boom.
Johns Hopkins isn’t the only one.
Community College Dean said his school had a record year.
My CC added 1000 students this year over last year.
My SLAC gained 400 or so in the freshman class over last year. And it’s $$$.
Honestly, I don’t know where they are coming from. But I’m glad they are coming to my classrooms.