Admissions Figures Show Salem Is Competitive
Laura Castellanos del Valle
Now that all of us are con
firmed Salemites it is only
natural for us to look back and
wonder, “How on earth did we
get in to start with?” Mary Scott
Best, director of Salem
admissions recently spent an
afternoon with the Salemite to
explain admissions procedures.
After an application is received
in the admissions office the staff
procures the appropriate
transcripts, scores and
references. Recently a new
policy concerning the references
has been instituted where in the
applicants are responsible for
obtaining their own references,
rather than the college writing
each reference offered by the
girl.
Once an application is
complete Mary Scott will review
it carefully. She has the authority
to accept the “unquestionable”
applicants, which represent
approximately half of the
applications received. The other
half is sent to the Admissions
Committee which consists of
eight faculty members, four
students and the Dean of
Students. Only the senior student
representative is allowed to read
applications and voice an
opinion. The other students
function only in policy-making
matters. The committee uses the
same criteria as the director and
tries for a unanimous decision on
each applicant.
The criteria for acceptance at
Salem is based on grades, scores,
extracurriculars, recommen
dations and an interview.
According to the admissions
office no one area is more
important than another, however
a good deal of emphasis is
focused on the interview. There is
no difference in the criteria for
in-state and out-of-state students.
This year 41 per cent of the
students were from in-state
which represents a decrease
from the average 50 per cent.
There is a slight tendency to
favor students from preparatory
schools.
This past year 64 per cent of the
students accepted attended
public schools and 36 per cent
aUended prep schools.
Historically, these figures are
average for Salem.
Board scores and grades are
t^reated very individually at
Salem, with no standards and no
cut-off points. However, on the
Did You Know?
The Red Cross
Bloodmobile will be on
campus Wednesday,
^prilSth from 11 a.m. (o
C30 p.m. in the Club
Dining Room. Special
dinner for all donors.
correction
and** Semite regrets an error
omission in the March 24
SL"’ ‘Kditors,
Managers Named.”
I has n, *ngton, rising sophomore,
art circulation and
S Slemlte this
I Puhiina!^^ ^ selected by
Manao Bnard to be Business
"^ger for next year.
SAT scores for acceptances all
average to fall between 25 points
of 1000. Also, a B average is
recommended by the admissions
office to all applicants, as well as
sixteen academic units. Fifty-
four per cent of our acceptances
graduate in the upper quarter of
their class. Broken down into
public and private schools this
figure shows that 70 per cent of
the public school acceptances
were in the upper quarter of their
class as were 30 per cent of the
private school graduates.
In a student’s extracurriculars
and recommendations the college
is looking for leadership and
motivation. Here is the only point
in the admissions process where
it can honestly be said that there
is an “ideal Salem student” in
mind.
Family tradition has very little
leverage with helping an
applicant to become a Salemite.
Still, there is a high percentage of
students with alumnae
..connections. Forty-one per cent
of the class of 1981 has family ties
to Salem.
So far there has been no
governmental pressure on the
college regarding minority
representation among the
student population. However it is
anticipated in the future.
Faculty, administration and the
board of trustees are making
“strong efforts to increase
minority representation.” To
date, they have had very little
success. The criteria for
acceptance for minority students
is slightly lower. More in
dividualized attention is being
given to those applications.
The application procedures for
transfers is basically the same
and the criteria almost identical.
Salem receives very few transfer
applications, but is actively
trying to recruit more.
Approximately 400 applications
are received each year. Roughly
85 per cent of those are accepted.
Of that nercentage
approximately half decide to
attend Salem. With regard to
acceptances, Salem rates very
well competitively with other
schools of its kind.
In answer to rumours on
campus that the criteria for
acceptance had almost hit rock
bottom, the Salemite was
informed that the slight
downslope Salem has
experienced is not symptomatic
of ills within the college, but of
problems nationwide. The
movement away from small,
private single-sex institutions to
larger more occupationally
oriented co-ed school is a com
mon problem for all schools like
Salem.
The slight fluctuations in
application receipt during the
past five years at Salem have
been so minimal that they can be
blamed on chance. Stability and
consistency are the keywords for
small schools like Salem at the
moment, and in both senses
Salem is doing very well.
Career Planning & Placement Office
The Career Planning and Placement Office has
planned a number of trips for students to visit local
businesses and institutions. The first trip will be Apr. 4
from 10 a.m. - noon to Goodwill Rehabilitation Center.
Students will have a tour of the facilities and then will
hear from various personnel including a social-case
worker, rehabilitation counselor and psychometrist.
SALEum:
Volume LX
Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C., Friday, March 31, 1978
Number 16
SGA, Honor Council Officers Discuss Plans
Compiled by
Beth Howard
March 9, Salem’s Student
Government Association elected
officers for the 1978-79 school
year. At the Salemlte’s request,
each elected officer submitted a
statement allowing her briefly to
express what she hopes to
accomplish in the following year.
The statement is intended also to
clarify for Salem students the
positions held by the elected
officers.
students to approach us with
other ideas. How can Executive
Board best serve the whole
student body? The answer to this
question ultimately must come
from the student body itself,
rather than from just the five of
us who are on Executive Board.
operate efficiently and within the
guidelines of the constitution.
Next, I am interested in seeing
Executive Board pick up and
follow through on the legitimate
concerns expressed this year by
groups of students on the P.E.
requirements and the issue of the
Salem Bookstore. Any issue
receiving such overwhelming
student support certainly
commands attention.
Finally, I would like to work
with the chairmen of the Student-
Faculty committees next year to
insure that these committees are
given the support which they _
need and to insure that they are
utilized.
There are many more issues in
which Connie and I share similar
interests, and I look forward to
working with her, Paula, Diana,
Suzanne, and the new Legislative
Board very much.
for next year’s Student
Government, an ambition which
is “as old as the hills.” My
ambition is for the students to
play a more active role in Student
government. It disturbed me to
see the apparent apathy towards
SGA that was conveyed by the
uncontested offices during
elections.
As Secretary of SGA. I feel I
have an opportunity to improve
communication and to encourage
some enthusiasm for Student
Government, but these goals can
be accomplished only with the
help of my fellow students.
Connie Caldwell, SGA President
I have high hopes for SGA in
the coming year. Already, the
new Executive Board has begun
to discuss specific projects -
revamping I^egislative Board,
establishing an SGA office,
scheduling follow-up meeting
with the Faculty Task Forces for
students to ask questions and
make suggestions. We all are
eager to start working on those
projects, but we also want
KATE WALLACE
Kate Wallace, SGA Vice-
President
After serving as Secretary of
SGA this past year, I am really
looking forward to jumping into
another year of SGA as your
Vice-President. There are a few
areas that I ani especially
interested in and plan to work
with next year.
First I believe that the
efficiency of the Legislative
Board structure has been a major
concern of many members of
Executive Board and I^gislabve
Board in the past few years. The
structure of the board itself needs
evaluation and, perhaps, change,
in order to insure that it does
DIANA JOLLIFF
Diana Jolliff. SGA Secretary
I am extremely excited about
being Secretary of SGA next
year! I have one major ambition
' "w
SUZANNE McKASKILL
Suzanne McKaskill. SGA
Treasurer
First of all, I want to thank you
for voting for me. Second, 1 would
like to ask you to help me to
become a wrothy SGA Treasurer
for next year. Please feel free to
come to me any time with
suggestions or helpful criticisms
that you may have, because “two
Cont’d. on two