When President Richard Freeland addressed the class of 2008 at the President’s Convocation Monday morning, he told those seated in front of him that it was “hard to get into Northeastern this year.” He was right. Those that belong to the freshman class, are among a group of the brightest and most outgoing that Northeastern has ever seen, President Freeland told the crowd, and the numbers support his statements. Thirty-five percent of the freshman class were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. Last year, this figure was at 23 percent. One freshman predicts the upward trend to continue, adding that being the best of the best may only last for a year. “Next year’s class will be better than our class academically probably,” said Steve Buslovich, an art and photography major. “[NU’s] not going to lower their standards.” The selectivity was higher this year as well. For every eight applications, there was only one seat available, according to Freeland. Over 21,000 people applied to Northeastern this year, which was a 26 percent jump from the previous year. As for the people that make up the freshmen, the bulk of the class are local folks; 35 percent are from Massachusetts and 32 percent are from the mid-Atlantic states. Although, the number of students hailing from the West Coast is climbing, 124 freshmen call the other side of the country home. One freshman isn’t convinced by all of the praise. “I honestly think it’s something they say every year,” said Josh Roberge, a political science major. “It’s cool, if it’s honestly true. It’s an honor.” Ronne Patrick, the dean of undergraduate admissions, who crunches numbers all year long, said she’s impressed with the class of ’08, although she was surprised by the gender switch with this class. In the past, Northeastern has been an equal divide, but this year, females dominate the split — 53 to 47 percent over males. “More women than men are enrolling at Northeastern is unusual, well it isn’t unusual at other private schools, it’s just that we’ve always been 50/50,” said Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Philomena Mantella. The university has developed a five year plan, meaning it hopes that by 2008, the students that are accepted to the school fit a profile of more talented, outgoing and enthusiastic students. But, with this freshman class, many of the goals have already been met. “Overall the sort of leap we took in a single year, although this was certainly a class we saw on the horizon … it was much more an overall gain to our overall goal,” Mantella said. As the SAT scores keep climbing — up 53 points from last year — Mantella said the university will keep attracting the same type of student, someone who is attracted to a practice-oriented education and enjoys learning in an urban setting. Last year’s freshman class also made strides in terms of selectivity and SAT scores and thus far, Mantella said, the rate of retaining those students is up. The university is hoping to reach a retention rate of 85 percent, which would be an all time high for Northeastern. “We have had just an absolutely counter intuitive freshman melt, we have fewer than we’ve ever had before. We had fewer not show on the first day of res hall opening, usually about 100 no show freshman, this year we had 30,” Mantella said. “They seem to be hungry for this experience. That to me is the most exciting piece.” Patrick offered some advice to the incoming students at Northeastern, to ensure that they get the most out of their stay at NU. “Get involved and don’t be afraid to ask questions, meet people, connect,” she said. Present throughout the entire application process, Patrick said she and the university’s administration expect certain things from the 3100 plus students they accepted into the class of 2008. “You expect them to come in and really join our community and become contributing members of our community in all of those things, in student activities, in the classroom, with each other,” she said. “We want them to have a real, true college experience and to get involved and participate. It’s all about forming a better community, the more they are involved the more they are going to be able to take advantage of everything they are offered, the more that this will be the best time of your life.” Mantella said that in order to have the best experience, students should expand on what they are familiar with but also to explore the unknown, both in and out of the classroom. “I always tell them they should hold onto something they love, a passion they’ve had and try something they’ve never tried. I think holding onto something you love makes it all familiar when you’re unsure … and just broaden,” she said. The real test now, Mantella said, is for the university to deliver its end of the deal by offering each student the total college experience. “What this class is going to be about is delivering on that expectation … we have to be sure that we satisfy all of their curriculum interests, quality of life issues, the co-op, it all has to come together as a package,” Mantella said. “Because they’re going to go back and tell their high schools what they know is right, but then there’s no where to go but up, so it’s all about the delivery.”