Welcoming new students

Amidst the excitement of opening the new Jacobs Hall engineering and design building and the U.S. News and World Report confirming Berkeley as the world’s premier public university, the campus welcomed the College of Engineering Class of 2019.

As is tradition, first-year students hit the ground running with team building games. During the day-long orientation, students had the opportunity to survey the growing number of student groups to join during a meet-and-greet on Memorial Glade. For many, it was also the first time to enjoy a taste of Berkeley from the venerable institution that is Top Dog.

Admittance to this year’s incoming class represents one of the most competitive yet. The acceptance rate for freshman and transfer students dipped into the single digits, now 8.94 percent and 9.34 percent respectively. The 711 freshman and 178 transfer students come from 38 states and 29 countries. The freshman class is composed of 26.6 percent women, while the transfer class is 20.8 percent women.