In the wake of the unexpectedly high yield, the Office of Admission needed to figure out why its models went wrong and what models for future years should look like. According to Parker, the Office of Admission is still unsure whether the "unprecedented jump in yield" was anomalous, caused simply by the fact that all four Accepted Student days featured Amherst in exceptionally pleasant spring weather, or whether this jump is based on Amherst's growing appeal to prospective students. President Marx's charismatic leadership coupled with the College's new emphasis on service is increasingly popular, Parker suggested. According to Parker, "[the] message of Amherst as a place committed to service of some kind seems to be resonating very well with smart young people." The abolition of loans and the luxury of the new freshman dorms seem to also attract prospective students to Amherst. Learning from this past spring, Parker predicts that the College will err on the side of under-accepting the next few years. The Enrollment Management Committee, which sets admission and enrollment numbers is due to meet next week.
The large size of the Class of 2011 has had slight ramifications on campus. Thanks to the recent renovation of Charles Pratt Dormitory, the Freshman Quad could house all first-year students. "It's fortunate that this happened this year," according to Dean of Students Ben Lieber. "Without Charles Pratt it would have been a tight situation."
The large Class of 2011 forced the College to raise the cap of first-year seminars from 15 to 16 students per class. The extra students also affected advising because most first-year students select popular subjects such as English, economics and psychology as their anticipated major of choice. The surplus of students forced the Dean of New Students office to assign first-years to advisors that might, in the words of Dean of New Students Allen Hart, "have been their third or fourth best option," as opposed to their first or second. However, in the grand scheme of things, Lieber believes the 34 extra students have "not [made] a significant difference."
Yet Hart noted some positive changes that may be the result of the slightly larger student body. For instance, he perceived a "positive critical mass" has been added to some organizations, including international clubs and religious groups, giving them a vitality not seen in previous years. Social events such as TAPs have also been better attended than in previous years. On the other hand, according to Hart, some sport teams that over-recruited were forced to cut first-years who believed that they could play.
While the additional students may not make a significant difference in most aspects of life at the College, students, particularly first-years, feel the crunch at Valentine Dining Hall at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the cafeteria is swamped with hungry first-years just out from their first seminars. "Last month we served 71 more meals per day on average compared to September 2006," said Director of Dining Services Charlie Thompson. "Of course, I cannot be 100 percent sure that the increase is only because of the increase in class size, but I think most of the increase in people served is attributed to that."