Class of 2018 Snapshot (Including Selfies)

A new academic year has begun at Mary Baldwin University with a lively group of first-year students, which is great news. But even better news, according to admissions officials, is that members of the Class of 2018 are a better fit for Mary Baldwin, thanks to new print materials, a revamped website, and refreshed talking points for counselors that focus on Mary Baldwin’s academic excellence, rich campus life, solid financial aid options, and personal attention from faculty and staff.

selfie postcard
One of several postcards that encouraged prospective students to visualize themselves at Mary Baldwin.

One of the new, successful tactics developed by the design team in the Mary Baldwin Office of Communication, Marketing, and Public Affairs involved encouraging prospective students to imagine themselves among the student body by taking “selfies,” during campus visits and eventually during orientation week, sharing those pictures on various social media outlets through #mbcselfie.

This year’s freshman class also brings an improved academic record with an average SAT composite 20 points higher than last year’s class. The Class of 2018 has an average high school grade point average of 3.4. The vast majority of freshmen hail from Virginia, followed by Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas, which enjoys a strong alumni base.

The most popular last name among the Class of 2018 is Williams, and the most popular first name is shared among eight students and spelled five different ways: Breanna, Breeaunna, Breianna, Briana, and Brianna. And Executive Chef Michael Clay may want to serve birthday cake in Hunt Dining Hall on May 13 because six freshmen were born on that day.

There is a 30-year span between the youngest member of the freshman class: a 12-year-old in the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted and a 42-year-old transfer student.