Diversity is not news to Chris Blanton. His high school was in inner-city Orlando and included some of the city's poorer districts, he said.
"The University is less diverse than my high school," he said.
But in Blanton's Dobie House suite Monday night, when 20 first-year students gathered for a small "Grounds for Discussion" meeting, their differences were clear.
When prompted by facilitators, they described themselves with adjectives ranging from "kind" and "easygoing" to "bashful," "terrible" and "magical." They were getting to know each other and appreciate their differences.
And so goes the Class of 2004.
Student body more diverse than ever
At 2,930 members, the class this year brims with more diversity than ever. Racially, the minority numbers are up. And so are the toilet seats - for the first time since 1988, there's been a slight increase in the number of men in the class.
But women still have a slight edge over the men, making up 54 percent of the first-year students, which Dean of Admissions John A. Blackburn said was a trend at other colleges and universities as well.
But more significantly, the racial composition of the Class of 2004 is distinct from other years.
The enrollment of students of non-European descent rose this year, from 650 in the fall of 1999 to 742 this fall.
In 1999 there were 289 Asian students, and there are 350 this year. Last year there were 77 Latino students; this year there are 98.
While the number of black students also went up, it was a comparatively smaller increase. In 1999 there were 284 black students, and this year there are 294.
According to admissions statistics, 142 students from all around the world have moved into first-year dorms this year. Although the number of international students continues to increase each year, the majority of students still hail from good old Virginia. The class of 2004 is just over 67 percent Virginian.
There's no place like home
But even for Virginia residents, the University isn't always just like home.
For An Bui, a graduate of Annandale High School in northern Virginia, the University not only looks but also sounds a lot different from the northern Virginia suburbs.
"You do see a smaller number of minorities here," said Bui, who lives in the Hancock House. At his high school "there were so many languages spoken, and there was no self-segregation at all."
On the other side of the spectrum - but just two doors down the hall from Florida native Chris Blanton - stands Justin Lugar of Forrest, Va.
Growing up in Forrest, a small town outside Lynchburg that once served as Thomas Jefferson's summer home, gave Lugar a different perspective on diversity.
"My town is probably 90 percent white," he said.
Although he technically is a Virginia resident, Alex Yates, Blanton's roommate, considers himself an international student. Yates has attended schools in six different countries, including Bolivia and the Philippines. "I'm having a lot of culture shock," Yates said. "I've never had American friends before."
Scholastics paramount for first years
Despite the wide array of students from different backgrounds and origins, Dean Blackburn said the members of the Class of 2004 have at least one thing in common: high standards of scholastic achievement.
Over 82 percent of entering first years were ranked in the top 10 percent of their class.
"We know the students in this class did extremely well in high school," Blackburn said.
The number of students in the top 1 percent of their class also climbed from 21 percent in the fall of 1999 to 29 percent this fall.
Although SAT scores dropped slightly, they remained high overall. The middle 50 percent of the class fell in a range from 1220-1410.
In addition to strong class standings, Blackburn said admissions officials were "delighted with what we saw in the students' essays." They were, he continued, "thoughtful and mature."
The University admitted 202 students as Echols Scholars and 31 as Jefferson Scholars this year, both increases, according to Sherry Bullock, Secretary for the Echols Program, and Jimmy Wright, executive director of the Jefferson Scholars Program.
Residence life at the University
First years also are tied together by their accommodations - some more comfortably than others. Of the 2,788 first years residing in traditional first-year areas, 1,256 first years will live in McCormick road dormitories, while 1,532 will reside in Alderman Road housing.
Of those Alderman residents, 115 will live in triple rooms, Director of Accommodations John Evans said.
Other students living in non-traditional housing areas include 128 first years living in Hereford and 30 in Brown College.
After their first few days living away from home and finding their place at the University, the Dobie discussion group participants look forward to their time here.
"It's gorgeous here," Yates said.
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