CINCINNATI — Xavier expects to welcome about 950 new undergraduate students this fall, an increase of more than 30% from last year.
The university is also introducing 11 new undergraduate majors, including neuroscience, cybersecurity and health science and wellness. Xavier said it is also tracking toward its highest first year retention rate in nearly a decade.
For the freshmen arriving on campus, though, the numbers are not necessarily what is on their minds.
Alec Caron, a freshman from Michigan who is majoring in environmental science, said he is looking forward to the new experiences that come with leaving high school behind.
“It’s nice to get away from the high school, knowing everyone, meeting all of these new people, getting all these new experiences, that is what I’m most looking forward to," he said.
Watch below to see more from the start of the semester at Xavier University:
For Lillian McKay, Xavier felt familiar from the moment she toured the Cincinnati campus.
“I went to a little Catholic high school in St. Louis and whenever I toured Xavier, it gave me the exact same feeling it did whenever I was picking my high school and so it just felt like home," she said.
McKay is starting her freshman year as a nursing major.
“I’m really excited to get started on my major," she said. "I am majoring in nursing, so my end goal is to obviously to help people and I’m so excited to get closer to my goal.”
The transition to campus started several days before classes.
First year students moved into their residence halls August 13 before taking part in Manresa, Xavier’s new student orientation program, throughout the weekend.
Kaila Jerkatis, a freshman majoring in biomedical sciences, said the move-in process made the transition easier than she expected.
“It was fantastic. Like, we just rolled up one in and they opened the doors and said hi, and we told them where we were going, like our room, and they just moved us on in," she said. "And I think about 10 minutes later I had all my stuff in my room.”
Jerkatis said she is also looking forward to meeting new people and learning more about Xavier’s Jesuit community.
Jerkatis, McKay and Caron met recently and will be living in the same residence hall.
Now, after moving in, getting oriented and meeting new classmates, they are ready to begin the next part of their Xavier experience.
Xavier’s fall semester officially began Monday at 8 a.m.
