When I walk around campus, I'm gratified and inspired by UCSC students. I see students engaged in the full range of academic and creative pursuits, as well as extracurricular activities. This issue of Review celebrates our students.
Who are today's students?
To give you an idea, consider our most recent applicant pool. More than 46,000 prospective undergraduates—the most ever—applied for admission to UCSC for the fall 2013 quarter.
UCSC had the highest increase of freshman applications in the UC system and the second highest increase in transfer applications.
Many UCSC students are first-generation. Almost half of the applications for fall came from students whose parents haven't earned a degree from a four-year university.
They are multicultural. The number of African American, Chicano/Latino, and Asian American freshman applicants also increased.
They are smart and hardworking. The admitted freshman class for fall 2012 had an average high school GPA of nearly 3.8.
Our students are also whimsical, fun, creative, and innovative—think hipster glasses and flowered velvet Doc Martens—in addition to being tutors, mentors, and volunteers.
They are active—and we're ready for them, with more than 100 student organizations, 14 men's and women's NCAA intercollegiate teams, and a wide variety of athletic clubs, intramural leagues, and rec programs.
Banana Slugs revel in our broad academic offerings and thrive in our interdisciplinary environment. Undergraduates choose from 60 majors, 37 minors, and 54 concentrations.
It's our job to provide them with opportunities. Our growing popularity tells me we're succeeding, offering an education that appeals to bright students with idealistic goals. UCSC students are tenacious, imaginative, conscientious, unlimited. They are actively making the world they want to live in. They are preparing their wings to fly, and I never tire of watching them soar.
Sincerely,
George Blumenthal
