Ramapo Magazine

At Ramapo College, students are our most dynamic and energetic attribute and we take great pride in their accomplishments.

Highlights

The class of 2003, the largest class since 1988, was 10 percent larger than the class of 2002 and 58 percent larger than in 1995.
Applications to the freshman class were the highest in the history of the College, 3 percent more than 1998 and 55 percent more than 1995. Admission was offered to fewer than half (47 percent) of the freshman applicants, bringing higher achieving students to the campus.
Class rank for enrolled freshmen has risen from the 65th percentile (top 35 percent of the class) in 1995 to the 73rd percentile (top 27 percent). Mean combined SAT scores were 1090, 540 Verbal and 550 Math.
The freshman class of 536 students entered from twenty counties in New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and twenty foreign countries.
In total enrollment, twenty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and fifty-seven countries were represented.
Total undergraduate and graduate headcount was 4,868. The graduate enrollment of 213 marks a 38 percent increase from 1998, thereby contributing to fall 1999 enrollment being the largest in the history of the College.
Eighty-three percent of first-time, full-time students enrolled in fall 1998 returned in fall 1999. This marked a 4 percent increase in the retention rate.
Thirty students were enrolled in the Honor's College, a 70 percent increase over the previous year.
Out of thirty graduates affiliated with the Office of Specialized Services, two are student teaching, one is in graduate school, and the remaining majority are employed in fields related to their majors, including three at Ramapo College, and two at positions with the United States government. Other major corporations and local businesses hiring the graduates included Marriott, Robert Woods Johnson Hospital, Cablevision, and AT&T.
Forty-seven percent of Ramapo students received financial aid. Over $15 million in federal, state, and College grants, scholarships, and loans assisted students in pursuing their education.

One Student’s Story

For Auslin Williams, receiving the BD (Becton Dickinson) Scholarship represents a triumph over tough times and a complete turnaround in her life. "I was daddy's little girl," explains Auslin. "But my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was in fourth grade and died when I was in seventh grade. I had to grow up fast."

Auslin helped care for her younger brother, but she stopped caring about her schoolwork and her grades suffered. A scholarship was the only hope for Auslin, a native of Neptune, to attain her dream of a college education. But, first she had to turn her life around and start to study again. "Being awarded the BD (Becton Dickinson) Scholarship means so much to me," says Auslin. "It showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to. My hard work paid off. It also meant so much to my mom and other family who helped raise me."

Auslin, who is very proud to have received this minority achievement award, is now a sophomore at Ramapo majoring in communications with a concentration in television and a minor in theater. The first year was hard, admits Auslin. "I had to focus on my G.P.A. and learn the ropes of going to college; I sat in my room and studied a lot. Getting a scholarship gives you a lot of respect, especially from the professors on campus, but they expect a lot from you too." This year Auslin has been able to join clubs and go back to her hometown high school to speak at assemblies about her difficult journey and ultimate success. As she tells the younger students: "If you mess up, it's OK, but you have to work really hard to get back on top. Never give up!"