Incoming freshmen flock to VWC from near and far
By Laynee Timlin | February 20, 2012
Interested in majoring in business and playing golf for Virginia Wesleyan beginning in the fall, Patrick Raschko is busy completing his senior year at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, Washington.
“VWC is the best fit for me,” says Raschko. “It has everything I'd ever want from a college—great academics, a large, well kept campus, and nice people. I also wanted to get away from all the rain in Seattle so I could play more golf.”
Raschko recently visited the Virginia Wesleyan campus to meet with Head Golf Coach Phil Stewart and attend an Honors and Scholarship Day. Having made the decision to attend VWC, he’s ready for what lies ahead.
“I'm excited to be meeting new people, making new friends, and having more freedom than I've ever had before. The opportunity to attend a great college and get a degree is one I'll definitely make the most of.”
Just a few miles from the Virginia Wesleyan campus, at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Marisa Harris is also looking forward to beginning her college years at Virginia Wesleyan.
"I have felt welcomed by all the students, faculty and staff that I have encountered during my visits,” says Harris, another Honors and Scholars student who met VWC Admissions Counselor Megan Overbey at a high school college night and has been communicating regularly with her ever since. “I feel that the family atmosphere and caring staff at VWC will help to prepare me for my future. I am looking forward to the variety of classes and the independence of college life."
Incoming students like Raschko and Harris are characteristic of a Class of 2016 that will be marked by high academic performance and demographic diversity, says Dean of Admissions Patty Patten.
“We are attracting and admitting students with impressively high ability,” says Patten, “Of the admitted students so far this year, 38 percent are from areas of Virginia outside of Hampton Roads. Another 37 percent are from states other than Virginia.”
Patten reports a 467 percent increase in applications to Virginia Wesleyan over the last two years. According to Patten, nearly 6,000 applications have been received so far this year, representing a 50 percent increase over the previous year.
Dean Patten credits the surge in interest in VWC to accolades such as “Best College in the Southeast” and “Green College” distinctions from The Princeton Review, VWC’s nationally ranked sports teams, outstanding professors, and major renovations to the College’s science facilities, including the installation of a new electron scanning microscope.
“We’ve also greatly expanded our outreach and are sharing the many strengths of the College by telling the VWC story in new ways,” Patten says. “We also have new and very generous scholarships to offer students who qualify for our Honors and Scholars program.”
Patrick Raschko and Marisa Harris will most likely be a part of the largest freshman class in the history of the College. The members of the Class of 2016 just keep on coming.