Lawrentians come from all reaches of the United States, and from all over the world.
The Class of 2023 is no different. Members of the class — 390 strong — have their own experiences to weave into the deep and vibrant Lawrence tapestry.
“For those of us who have been recruiting the class of 2023, Welcome Week is one of our favorite weeks of the year because it’s the first time we all get to see, for the first time together, all of our new first-year, transfer, visiting and exchange students,” says Ken Anselment, vice president for enrollment and communication and dean of admissions. “It’s a time of joy, promise and great expectations, and it’s truly a privilege that we get to experience it with them.”
President Mark Burstein greeted each and every incoming student with a handshake during Welcome Week. It’s become a tradition. We caught ’em all. Check it out:
The President's Welcome
Welcome Week
As we conclude Welcome Week and prepare for Monday’s start to the Fall Term, we thought it would be fun to get know our new students … by the numbers. Who is the Class of 2023? Well, with the help of the Admissions office, we collected some data to introduce you to the students who just embarked on their Lawrence journey.
390 …
Total number of first-year students. Class of 2023 is one of the 10 largest classes ever at Lawrence.
32 …
Number of states represented. Students have come from all over the country to make their home away from home at Lawrence, including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
26 …
Number of citizenships represented. The diversity of the student body at Lawrence is no secret, and that includes the array of citizens and dual citizens represented in this class: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, China, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam — in addition to, of course, the United States.
80 …
Number of first-year students from Wisconsin. Just like in previous years, more incoming Lawrentians hail from Wisconsin than any other single state. “The Wisconsin high school population has been shrinking and will continue to do so,” says Anselment. “Even as we continue to recruit a nationally and internationally diverse pool of applicants, we expect Wisconsin to have the largest cohort in each class, even though it is likely to be a little smaller.”
57 …
The number of first-year students from Illinois. That makes our neighbor to the south the leading state not named Wisconsin. Minnesota and Michigan are not far behind. The influx of students from our neighbor states means you’ll find Midwestern hospitality all over campus. Following Illinois, the most U.S. students in the Class of 2023 come from, in order, Minnesota, California, Texas, New York, Michigan, Colorado, and Washington.
3.67 …
The average high school GPA of our incoming students. Classes haven’t even started yet and these new students are already setting the bar high.
14 …
Number of class valedictorians. And those are just the ones from schools that provide class rank. Many more students come from non-ranking high schools but have GPAs at or above the 4.0 mark.
23 …
Number of students who have a parent, sibling, grandparent or other relative who attended (or is attending) Lawrence. Members of the Class of 2023 are beginning their own Lawrence journeys. Some just happen to have a little more Lawrentian family history than others.
98 …
Students in at least one studio in the Conservatory of Music. The incoming class has its share of musicians who have come from all reaches of the music world to be a part of the Conservatory, some pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree and some tapping into the newly launched Bachelor of Musical Arts degree.
40 …
Number of students planning to pursue degrees in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. Splitting time between the Conservatory and other areas of study can be a big commitment, but these incoming students have found their passions in multiple areas and will experience the full range of academics at Lawrence.
7 …
Number of first-year students who share a first name. That would be Emma. Yes, Emmas make up 1.8 percent of the Class of 2023. Hopefully they have different last initials in case they all end up in the same class.
19 …
Number of transfer students coming in. These students arrive from two-year or other four-year institutions from all over the country and the globe.
As Christopher Card, vice president for Student Life, told the incoming students during Monday’s Welcome Week gathering in Memorial Chapel, “Hello, and welcome.”