The start of every new school year brings with it a new Freshman class, and the start of this semester has proved no different–waves of new students have been livening up the campus since Orientation late last month. However, with every new class also comes new precedents and new challenges. With the school currently undergoing a plethora of changes and developments, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s plenty to discuss about the newest members of the Anselmian community.
The first and arguably most impressive fact about the Class of 2028 comes from their sheer size. As confirmed in the View from the Hilltop, the incoming Freshman class is the second largest class in Saint A’s history, totaling out at 579 students. More specifically, the group is sporting 568 campus residents, 29 transfers, and 136 members of both groups that moved in prior to Aug. 22 to engage in pre-school year activities and programs, such as fall sports, Transitions, and the RA2B program.
171 new athletes joined various sports on campus, as confirmed by Registrar Office staff member, Tracy Morgan. However, the influx of incoming freshmen isn’t without issues. Currently, there are three temporary quads housing four students in Domnic Hall, alongside transfers, who wouldn’t typically be housed there. At the moment, it seems unclear what the future steps to resolve this issue will be, or means to resolve future classes that are larger than this one. However, the very fact that the campus is bringing in more students than in previous years speaks volumes to what is being done right, rather than what’s being done wrong.
If the amount of incoming freshmen wasn’t enough to be noteworthy, their incoming GPA might be what takes people by surprise. While the Class of 2028 are the second largest incoming class, they are the academically strongest incoming class in Anselmian history, with a collective average GPA of 3.48. With how academically minded this newest class is, major popularity has shifted around significantly. Nursing is once again the most popular major of the new class, but the ones that follow directly afterwards may or may not surprise.
Following Nursing is Business Administration with Management Concentration, followed by Finance, with fourth being Criminal Justice, perhaps setting a precedent for future economic and legal shake-ups coming from the brand new undergrads. Lastly is Politics, which isn’t surprising, considering the Institute of Politics the school boasts.
How these stats stack up to previous Freshman classes is most indicative of the school’s growth. As reported previously, the total number of students that arrived at Saint A’s originally in the Class of 2026 was 531 in total, with the difference between the two being about 48 students. And while 2026 saw Undeclared sitting out the #3 spot, with Psychology sneaking its way into the #5 spot, neither major was on the top 5 podium with the 2028 class. In contrast, the Class of 2027 may have been slightly larger than the current Class of 2028, with an original total number of 580 students (a disparity of only one), their average GPA was lower, sitting at 3.44. And while the Class of 2027 had less first-gen students than its predecessor, with 109 arriving on campus, the Class of 2028 raised the bar once again, by bringing in 147 first-gen students.
New students have been making their transitions to college life, and, Vishal Velavan ’28 stated that “The Intercultural Center has helped me get a step ahead in student life,” highlighting one of the many welcoming and supportive spaces and resources on campus for students. Madyson Haskans ’28 stated that “It’s been a fun start to the year, full of great events…”. Lily Noble ’28 stated that “Orientation was fun.” The Freshman class has been making Saint Anselm their new home, and are being welcomed with open arms from staff and upperclassmen alike.