After several Capital Region schools welcomed some of their biggest incoming classes ever last fall, the next crop won't be quite so bumper — by design.
At the University at Albany, which enrolled 2,550 students in the Class of 2009, 200 fewer are expected this fall. “It was pretty crazy,” Wayne Locust said of last year's throng. “We'll be, obviously, in a better position to manage the 2,350.”
That means not having to convert common areas into living space for some students.
The crunch should also ease at Union College, where 585 enrolled last fall. About 550 are expected this year.
Dan Lundquist, dean of admissions and financial aid, said the school received 4,400 applications, its highest tally ever. “We're in great shape, but I'm just wiped,” he said.
It was an extra-hectic year, he said. Big media outlets seemed to run more stories about the difficulty of getting into school, and then the SAT scoring story broke.
“It seemed like a bit more of a hard-wired or a crazy year, more stress in the air,” he said.
Skidmore College, too, trimmed its incoming class after getting 6,650 applications, a 10 percent jump over last year. So far, it looks like 670 students will enroll this fall, down from 700 last year.
Mary Lou Bates, the school's dean of admissions and financial aid, said officials weren't sure whether the increase in applications could be attributed to more students loving Skidmore, or the trend of students sending out more applications across the board. Apparently, though, it was all Skidmore — more students sent in deposits than expected, and the school won't need to turn to its wait list.