Rise of admission standards good for IU

Recently the IDS ran a letter from Mr. Rick Volbrecht of Highland, Indiana. In his letter to the editor, Mr. Volbrecht raises several issues and asks a few questions about the admissions process on our campus and the value of increasing SAT averages. \nI thought it might be valuable to offer some perspective for the campus community at large. \nFirst, I believe increasing the average SAT score of the incoming freshmen class is something we should celebrate. \nOur freshmen class is the most talented in our history and this is reflects positively on our student body. \nNew student profiles build on the students who have enrolled before them and this class reflects the talented undergraduates on our campus. \nIn the admissions process, Indiana University was more selective this year because our applicant pool grew by 18 percent to more than 28,000 applicants. This applicant pool also grew in terms of academic quality, with both grade-point averages and test scores increasing. \nIt was inevitable that our average SAT score would rise accordingly. In fact, the academic profile of the freshmen class increased when state and national averages did not increase. \nThe indication of this increase is that more highly qualified students elected to attend Indiana University. Whether a student is from Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, Gary, Evansville, Bloomington, Muncie or Munich, we want talented students to be part of our IU community here in Bloomington.\nThe future of our state is dependent on an educated work force capable of competing in a global economy. I strongly believe we are excelling at this endeavor at Indiana University. Increasing the quality of the freshman class supports the citizens of the state of Indiana and enhances the value of every Indiana University graduate’s degree. \nI am proud of this year’s freshmen class and believe they will make a mark on our society which will make every Indiana citizen proud.