Class of 2023 Causes Unexpected Overflow

This fall, Marist College welcomed a new class of incoming first years. However, the Class of 2023 is one of the largest Marist has seen. 

This year’s freshman class includes 1,414 students from around the world in contrast to last year, when Marist welcomed 1,330 freshmen. From build-up rooms to fully packed first year programs, the college has adapted to accommodate the surplus of students.  Nevertheless, an overflow occurred.  

According to Nicole Radassao, Associate Director of Admission, some methods the college uses to determine the likely class size include using metrics, projecting enrollment considering previous years, and tracking trending.   

At Marist and other schools, the summer melt is when prospective students accept and plan to enroll but later decide not to come.  There are a variety of reasons why: two main ones are that the student has decided not to attend college that fall, or they were stuck between two schools and finally chose the other school.  This is not an uncommon occurrence and therefore Marist and other schools prepare for this, which is how it is possible to accept a larger number of students, knowing not everyone will come.   

This year’s results will become something to look at for the future.  However, now that the students are here, Marist is working on accommodating all the needs of a larger campus community. This includes an extensive staff for first year programs, as well as the expansion of career services.  

 "The internship coordinators are very reliable even with a bigger case load,” Radassao said.  

Despite this year’s outcome, Marist is not necessarily aiming to become a bigger school. The school is hoping to continue producing quality results.  The incoming classes are very competitive now and the standards continue to rise.  

As another result of the size of this fall’s first year population, many freshmen were placed in forced triples, also referred to as build-up rooms.  These are situations where three students are assigned to a room designed for two occupants. Some students who found themselves in a build-up room spoke about their experiences, including Jessica Olivari ‘23 and Sophia Barberan ‘23.   

“Being in a forced triple is not what I expected but it was a fun experience. I got to know two great people. Even though there were issues like privacy or if someone was being too loud it all worked out,”  Barberan said.  

Both Barberan and Olivari reside at Midrise Hall. Midrise houses freshmen, sophomores, and transfers living in suites of six occupants, sometimes seven in the case of triples.  Olivari noted this, saying “while we got lucky and did have a room on the larger side, people living in other residence halls struggle with personal space when it comes to forced triples. It’s great to have another roommate and friend, but it can be difficult sometimes when it comes to privacy.”   

Due to situations like build-up rooms, some freshmen have noticed that their class is especially large, however others are not as affected.  For many first years, this is their first taste of college, so their first impression is their only impression so far.