First-year students excel at academics, service to others

First-year students have a lot to offer the University of Richmond. Two members of the Class of 2010 are Bausch and Lomb Science Award winners, nine are Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award winners and 10 received Kodak Young Leader awards. More than half of incoming first-year students who reported class rank were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes.

They have excelled as student government and class presidents, editors of school publications and participants in model United Nations and received recognition for arts, athletics and band.

Among the 777 incoming students are seven published poets, three master divers, two certified pilots and one member of an AAU basketball national championship team. Four students served as Senate interns, one was a Congressional page and one was a state legislative page. Another student was a Boys State governor.

Others excelled as Eagle Scouts, Girl Scout Gold Award winners and officers of statewide organizations. More than 500 students received varsity letters and 547 noted a commitment to community service.

“We are happy to report that the quality of the class is outstanding,” said Sabena Moretz, associate director of admission. The middle 50 percent of SAT I scores for the class is 1850–2030. (This is the first class to report SAT I scores consisting of three parts, including a new essay section, which increased scores in comparison to previous years.)

Students in the class hail from 38 states, the District of Columbia and 32 countries. Forty-four percent live in the Mid-Atlantic, with 17 percent coming from Virginia. Six percent are international students, coming from such countries as Afghanistan, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Japan, Kenya, Portugal, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.

In addition, 14 percent of the class consists of domestic students of color and 11 percent are first-generation college students.

The University received 5,408 applications and accepted 2,363 students (44 percent). Of those admitted, 777 enrolled (33 percent yield).