Members of Illinois Wesleyan's Class of 2007 began their college careers by having their official ID photos taken Tuesday (August 19).

Illinois Wesleyan University Greets Class of 2007

Aug. 8, 2003

Illinois Wesleyan University will greet the Class of 2007 beginning on Tuesday, August 19 when the annual Fall Festival orientation program begins.

Statistically, this year's entering class represents new highs for the University. The 587 first-year students were selected from a record number of 3,487 applications. That represents a 7.4 percent increase from the class that entered last fall.

Of those who applied, Illinois Wesleyan accepted slightly less than 42 percent, which is the lowest acceptance rate in school history. The class members also have the highest test scores of any entering class with an SAT composite of 1280, up from 1260 in the fall of 2002, as well as an ACT composite of 28.5, up from 28.2. last fall.

During the Fall Festival, the new students will spend their time getting to know their peers and learning what to expect for the next four years.

The first official event of the Fall Festival is a First-Year Convocation at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on August 19.

World-renowned ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber, Class of 1981, will be the featured speaker at the convocation. Her speech is titled “Scientists Wear White, and Poets Wear Black: My Life as a Biologist-Author.”

Other activities throughout the festival will include informational sessions about academic and extracurricular opportunities at IWU, and social events such as movies, karaoke, trivia games and a dance party.

Over the weekend, first-year students will also have the opportunity to participate in various community service activities. Near the end of the festival, they will be able to attend a talent show that will showcase several of their peers and have the chance to see hypnotist Fredrick Winters perform as well.

“We’re looking for the Fall Festival to be the time that the first-year class can really bond and get to know each other,” said Angela Carver, assistant dean of students at IWU.

Organizers of the festival believe that this type of orientation focuses on helping students feel comfortable and confident on campus, which is an important part of adjusting to living away from home.