Freshman Harry Skipper moves in with the help of family members
Freshmen Arrive on Campus
The second largest freshman class in 10 years began a week of orientation at Erskine College today for the fall term that begins Sept. 2, with the girls moving into a newly-renovated dormitory, and 50 members of the class receiving free laptop computers as part of Erskine's Early Action Program.
Upperclassmen stood by to help the new students move into Carnegie Dormitory for freshman women, built in 1907, which this summer received $2.4 million in renovations and restoration. The freshman men moved into Grier Dormitory , remodeled last summer.
Erskine Associate Director of Admissions Cory Young said the Class of 2006 has an average SAT score of 1120 and and an average GPA of nearly 90 in college prep classes. "Close to 40 percent of these students finished in the top 10 percent of their graduating class," said Young.
Erskine's 167 freshmen come from nine states – Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia – as well Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
This year's students come from large public schools, small private schools, and everything in between, Young said, as well as from home-schooled backgrounds. The number of home-schooled students at Erskine continues to grow, a trend the admissions office has observed for the past several years.
Young said the incoming class is made up of students who have been active in student government, athletics, and church missions. "This class is very giving and service-minded," he said. "A number of them have participated in mission trips abroad.
This class truly represents what Erskine has stood for for over 160 years," said Young. "The high academic caliber of the class is obvious, as well as their giving, selfless attitude. They will follow a long tradition as they enter Erskine to learn and grow and then go out into the world to serve God and make the world a better place."
Freshmen and their families were enthusiastic about the recently remodeled residence halls and about the look and feel of the campus as a whole, and some were surprised by the amount of assistance given them in moving in.
"I was floored," said Becky Hensley of Lake Norman, N.C., mother of freshman Catherine Hensley, who is considering a career as a nutritionist and plans to major in biology. "When we pulled up, there were all these people there to unload the car. We moved her older sister into a large state school, and that experience was nothing like this."
Gary James of Florence said once his son Paul visited Erskine, "He didn't even want to apply anywhere else. He said, 'This is where I'm going to school.'"
Freshman roommates Matt Turner of Pickens and Chase Robinson of Fountain Inn each had their own reasons for choosing Erskine. For Turner, it was "just the overall feeling of the place," and for Robinson, it was "the fact that it's small and everybody knows each other."
Keisha Bentley of Anderson, who would like to be a physician and plans to major in biology, loves Carnegie's new look. "I feel blessed," she said.
Keisha's mother, who visited Carnegie with her daughter before and during the renovation project, agreed. "I couldn't see how they were going to have it ready in time. They must have been working around the clock. It looks beautiful."
Whitney Shumake of Sumter, who wants to major in biology, said she is pleased with the transformation of Carnegie, but the Erskine campus had already caught her imagination. "I fell in love with the campus when I visited on Junior Day," she said.
Shumake's roommate Megan Graham of Loris, who plans to pursue a career in medicine and will also be majoring in biology, said she was attracted by Erskine's premedical program and music opportunities. "Erskine was strong in the two areas I am very interested in," she said.
Freshman Ruth Logan of Due West said, "I like the dorms a lot." Her roommate, Julie Hall, also of Due West, said the two have been cheerleaders together for several years.
"I never wanted to go to college so close to home, but when I grew up, I decided Erskine was the place for me," said Hall. "I can be close to my family this way."
Logan and Hall both were among the 50 Erskine freshmen to receive a free laptop.
The program provides a free laptop computer to the first 50 freshman students to pay an Erskine deposit.
To be considered for the Early Action Program at Erskine, students applied for 2002 freshman admission, met the admission requirements at Erskine, and were accepted for admission before Dec. 15.
The 50 students accepted into the program received a laptop computer that will be available to the students during their years of enrollment at Erskine, and if the student graduates in four years, they are allowed to keep the computer.
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