For the first time in 186 years since the school has been open, Oxford College welcomed a cohort of 50 students on Jan. 11.
Every year, Oxford received approximately 20,000 applicants for about 500 available spots. Oxford began accepting spring admits to retain more highly-qualified applicants, Dean of Enrollment Services Kelley Lips wrote in a Jan. 17 email to the Wheel. The opportunity for students to start in the spring allows Oxford to accept 10% more students.
The spring admits started their first semester with a virtual orientation on Jan. 10 that entailed greetings from senior leadership and learning about campus resources. They will have an in-person orientation during the last weekend of January.
Dean of Oxford College Douglas Hicks told the Wheel that Oxford’s Discovery Seminars and close student-faculty interaction will help spring start students integrate into campus.
Oxford organized nightly meetups for spring start students to connect with each other over virtual games or in-person activity kits, such as Lego, embroidery and stuff-a-plush kits.
“I’ve grown super close to the other spring admits because of all the time we spend together during nightly activities,” Erin Yoon (23Ox) said.
Though some spring start students said the program helped them connect, others reported that the virtual start to the semester has made it hard to become involved in the larger Oxford community and engage with students who have been on the campus since the fall.
“I wish classes had started in person so we could be exposed to other people who aren’t just spring admits because it’s hard to connect over Zoom,” said Sana Ansari (23Ox). “The spring admits somewhat stick together and I don’t really see any other people in groups on campus.”
Dylan Liu (23Ox) expressed similar sentiments, indicating challenges with fitting into already established social groups.
“Everyone in the spring cohort is bonded by virtue of having to catch up with what everyone else is doing,” Liu said. “But it’s really difficult to meet everyone else because all the cliques are formed and people already have friends.”
Despite the virtual start, many students said they enjoyed their first week at Oxford. Yoon noted that Oxford professors “are much more open and friendly” than her high school teachers and took more of an interest in connecting with students.
Hicks told the Wheel that he anticipates the spring start class will bring unique viewpoints to the Oxford community.
“This exceptional group of incoming students spent the fall semester exploring academic interests, pursuing hobbies or traveling, so they come to campus with exciting new perspectives to share,” Hicks wrote in the email.
Yoon, who spent her fall semester taking classes at a community college in Cupertino, California and working at a restaurant, found that the benefits of spring admission extended beyond eventually getting to attend Emory, which was one of her top choice schools.
“During high school, I was so focused on grades and extracurriculars that I didn’t feel like I got the chance to do everything I wanted to do,” Yoon said. “[The spring start] was a really good opportunity to put myself out in the world, save up money and do things I wasn’t able to do in high school.”
