Next year’s freshman class could be largest ever

<p>Tour guide Corey Dahl leads a group of prospective students around campus Oct. 14, 2009. (TommieMedia file photo)</p>
Tour guide Corey Dahl leads a group of prospective students around campus Oct. 14, 2009. (TommieMedia file photo)

St. Thomas has more confirmed deposits for next year’s freshman class than ever before.

For the 2010-2011 school year, 1,493 students have put down their class deposits to be Tommies. At this time last year, St. Thomas had 1,337 deposits.

“We always have a large number of students that have confirmed, but we usually lose over 100 students in the summer,” said Marla Friederichs, vice president of enrollment. “And during a typical summer we admit students, too.”

As for the economy affecting 2010-2011 freshman classes across the country, Friederichs said it has been a “real mix.” She said she hasn’t seen any schools that are really down, while others are “running way ahead in deposits.”

Even with a large amount of deposits, the problem enrollment has deals with applicants “double and triple depositing” with other schools and not being able to make up their mind,” Friederichs said.

Friederichs likened the guesswork of how many students will pull their deposit to “landing a 747 airplane on an egg.”

Shane Kitzman can be reached at smkitzman@stthomas.edu