Campus Welcomes an Exceptional Group of New Students

Entering class of 2009 most competitive in recent history

September 15, 2009 —Hailing from nearly 50 states, more than 30 countries, and two Native nations, the 1,110 young men and women who comprise Phillips Academy’s 2009-2010 student body have arrived on campus for a new school year. As 760 returning students reunite with friends, house counselors, coaches, and teachers, 350 new students are immersed in a swirl of activities, including the traditional sneakers-only Blue Key orientation, where spirited returning seniors take their new charges on campus tours, to bird sanctuary trust falls, and to ice-breaker activities on the Great Lawn.

To view the opening of school photo gallery, click here.

“I find the leap of faith that our new students take each year when they join the Phillips Academy community to be incredibly courageous,” says Paul Murphy, dean of students and residential life. “They have chosen to leave their comfort zones, their old friends, old schools, and hometowns to journey down paths unknown.”

Murphy looks forward to the start of each academic year, as each member of the entering class brings his or her own unique talents and perspectives to an already dynamic culture.  “My hope for them is that they remain open to the experiences ahead, that they learn from each other, and that they leverage the Academy to meet their hopes and dreams.”

According to Jane Fried, dean of admission and assistant head of enrollment, research, and planning, 2009’s entering class is the most competitive in a long time. With a median class rank of 99 percent and a median SSAT total of 94 percent, the 184 boys and 166 girls emerged from a pool of 2,784 completed applications, representing a 17 percent increase in applications from the previous year. With a record low admission rate of 16 percent and a record high yield of 77 percent, Fried credits Andover’s 2004 Strategic Plan with enabling the Academy to not only weather the current recession in its recruitment efforts, but also thrive in spite of the crisis.

“The trustees’ reaffirmation of Andover’s constitutional mission to educate youth from every quarter inspired the admission office to aggressively broaden its applicant pool. This extraordinary four-year recruitment effort protected us from the effects of last year’s economic downturn,” says Fried.

Both Murphy and Fried credit Andover’s commitment to its need-blind admission policy as a key factor in cultivating a group as strong as the entering class of 2009. With 43 percent of the incoming class on some sort of financial aid, “the commitment of Andover to recruit the best students and to remove financial need as an obstacle to admission placed Andover in the leadership position in secondary school admissions,” says Fried.