San Diego State University Welcomes Largest Freshmen Class This Fall

According to Daniels, San Diego State had the best program for her intended major—liberal studies—as she hopes to become an elementary school teacher.

“Out of all the schools I looked at, SDSU had the most structured program,” she said.

And it seems that Daniels is not alone, as 9,280 new students are attending SDSU this fall semester, which starts Monday, Aug. 27. This year’s incoming class includes an expected 5,480 first-time freshmen, the largest freshmen class in the university’s history, and 3,800 transfers. SDSU received a record 57,000 applications for this school year.

SDSU officials expect the quality and diversity of this year’s incoming class to remain high. First-time freshmen have an average incoming high school grade point average of 3.45 and an average SAT score of 1055. Additionally, this year’s class is again a diverse one, with 44.5 percent of freshmen and 39.2 percent of transfer students from historically underrepresented minority groups.

Additionally, 62 new faculty members will be joining SDSU for fall 2007. The new group of professors hails from prestigious universities across the country, including Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University and University of Southern California, among others.

Several events are planned for the first week of classes, including the All-University Convocation on Thursday, Aug. 23, the New Student and Family Convocation on Saturday, Aug. 25 and several Welcome Week activities. One popular Welcome Week activity is the Aztec Bash, which will provide 2,000 students with a free barbecue lunch and entertainment hosted by SDSU Vice President for Student Affairs James R. Kitchen on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

University Honors Program:

• This year, 480 students, including first-time freshmen, current SDSU students and transfer students, will be involved in the SDSU University Honors Program, where outstanding students are provided an opportunity for advanced scholarship.
• To be considered for the honors program, incoming first-time freshmen must have a 3.70 high school GPA and a combined math and verbal SAT score of 1200. Currently enrolled SDSU students and transfer students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50.
• Students in the University Honors Program are afforded a host of benefits, including: guaranteed housing, an opportunity to live in the Zapotec Honors House in Cuicacalli Residence Hall, smaller classes, personal academic advisors, access to private study rooms in the library and study abroad opportunities, as well as research, scholarship, and creative activity opportunities.

Profiles of Remarkable Freshmen:

• Kortney Denlay was awarded a four-year scholarship from the U.S. Navy for its Nursing Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) at SDSU. Denlay plans to become a critical care flight nurse.
• George Ching is an incoming freshman with a GPA of 3.94. As a student of Chinese and Japanese-Mexican descent, George is fluent in English and Spanish. He plans to major in economics. Additionally, George is a recipient of the President’s Diversity Scholarship for 2007 and is a Compact scholar. The Compact, a comprehensive partnership founded in 1998 between SDSU and the Sweetwater Union High School District, guarantees admission to SDSU for any student from the South County district who meets program benchmarks.
• Eduardo Santacruz is an incoming freshman with a GPA of 4.09. Eduardo wants to become a journalist and he believes that writing will provide a voice to the voiceless in our global community. He is also interested in confronting issues that impact society and spurring others to action in advocating human rights. Eduardo is also a Compact scholar and a recipient of the President’s Diversity Scholarship for 2007.
• Sarai Quintero is an incoming freshman majoring in nursing. She has received the San Diego Educational Fund’s $10,000 Mashin Scholarship for students interested in math or science. Sarai, a graduate of Serra High School in Tierrasanta, is the first in her family to go to college.

New Programs and Classes:

• Classes in Indian gaming will be available through the Sycuan Institute for Tribal Gaming this fall. The classes are Tribal Gaming Context and Casino Operations.
• Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the History of Hip Hop, a class offered by the Africana Studies department. The course will explore the genesis of hip hop as a worldwide culture and the historical, political, sociological, cultural and aesthetic precursors of the genre.
• In conjunction with the San Diego Museum of Natural History, SDSU students will have the opportunity to learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls. The class will attend the Dead Sea Scrolls Distinguished Lecturer Series at the museum, as well as explore Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship and biblical archaeology.
• History of animation and digital special effects is another new course being offered this fall by the School of Television, Film and New Media.