From welcome events and invitations to advice from WUSTL upperclassmen, faculty and staff, freshman Mariah Cushman says efforts to help the Class of 2015 acclimate to life on the Danforth Campus have been evident — as has the freshman class’ eagerness to take its place in the WUSTL community.
“There is an excitement and enthusiasm I see in the freshman class through its desire to participate and explore that is contagious,” says Cushman, who plans to major in chemical engineering with a minor in Spanish in Arts & Sciences.
Cushman is one of the approximately 1,500 members of the Class of 2015 who arrived on campus this past August. The freshman class was selected from nearly 29,000 applicants, and approximately half are female and half are male.
Nearly all the freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and about 65 percent traveled at least 500 miles from their hometowns to WUSTL — including Cushman, who is from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
About 40 percent of freshmen are multicultural or international. They come from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam, and from 21 countries, joining an undergraduate student body with students from approximately 60 countries.
“This year’s freshman class is very impressive, and it represents some of the most accomplished students from all over the world,” says Julie Shimabukuro, director of admissions. “In addition to being academically talented, many students also were active in their school and local communities, and they share a strong commitment to service to others.
“We are excited that they have chosen to join our community and are looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the next four years and beyond,” Shimabukuro says. “It was fun to see our freshmen at convocation — their energy and spirit was incredible!”
Cushman says she has witnessed — and been a part of — that same spirit.
“I’m looking forward to four years of growth and learning with this group of students,” she says.