While the University saw an increase in the overall number of applicants to the class of 2014, admissions officials also noted a considerable jump in the number of applications from China, Assoc. Dean of Admissions Parke Muth said. Much of the rise in Chinese applicants, Muth said, was because of the recruitment efforts of the Mainland Student Network, a contracted independent organization that has worked closely with the Office of Admissions to recruit the strongest applicants from China.
The University received 960 applications from Chinese students this admissions season - a 20 percent increase from 2009, when 800 students from China applied, Muth said. He added that an increase in the number of college-bound students in China and a stronger Chinese economy also contributed to the increase in applications to the University.
Former Commerce student Zhichen Liu founded MSN five years ago during her fourth year, originally intending it only to serve the Chinese community at the University, MSN Internal Vice President Mu Chen said.
MSN soon began reaching out to college hopefuls in China, as well. As the organization expanded, recruitment became a central part of the organization's goals, as University alumni and international students in China attempted to increase the number of students in the country who applied to the University.
"Every single place I went, I had students [from MSN]," Muth said. "These guys are just phenomenally dedicated to helping students."
During this past Winter Break, MSN members helped the Office of Admissions process the thousands of applications that the University receives each year. Muth estimated that students clocked more than 235 volunteer hours at the offices during the time period.
"That gives all of our staff, which usually spends the first week [of the application season] processing mail, more time to make better decisions," Muth said.
Muth said many Chinese applicants to the University attend "Key High Schools" - China's equivalent of a magnet school - and submit "stunning" grades and test scores. Moreover, some students can be so ambitious as to send supplementary materials, such as DVDs and books, highlighting their achievements, he added.
"We have to make hard decisions," Muth said.
As a result, Muth asked MSN to conduct face-to-face interviews with 300 to 400 applicants from China, Chen said, adding that the face-to-face interviews replaced the phone interviews the organization used during previous years.
The face-to-face interviews "give a closer feel of the applicant," Chen said, as the act of meeting current University students often helps persuade applicants to attend.
As an added bonus, those applicants who ultimately gain admission and enroll, Muth said, tend to publicize the University further in China, spreading the word to family, friends and other potential students.
"These students have great pride in U.Va.," Muth said. "They're proud to be here and want to tell students about it"
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