CONWAY, Ark. (Aug. 18, 2009) -- New students from throughout the U.S. – 426 students representing 35 states (and six countries) – moved into their residence halls at Hendrix College Tuesday to begin a week-long orientation session called Welcome Week. Classes at Hendrix begin Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The students represent the second-largest freshmen class in the college’s history and will be a part of the largest student body ever at Hendrix. Boasting an average ACT score of 29, an average GPA of 3.82 and with 62 of the 193 incoming Arkansas students qualifying as Governor’s Distinguished Scholars, the group is among the most academically talented as well.
New Student Orientation at Hendrix is a unique program that allows first-year students to become familiar with Hendrix academic and student life through various events and programs. Along with meeting academic advisors and participating in Choices 101, an awareness program to help the students transition to college life, students also take part in Playfair – a fast-paced ice breaker where the entire first-year class gets to know each other in a fun environment – and Pizza Wars, a social event where local pizza vendors compete for the title of Hendrix favorite.
Orientation culminates with weekend orientation trips to various locations throughout Arkansas, including hiking at Devil’s Den, bicycle riding in Hot Springs, waterskiing in Greer’s Ferry Lake and a service trip to Fayetteville, among others.
As new students moved into their new residences Tuesday, Hendrix’s Green Team, a division of the student-led Environmental Concerns Committee, was out in full force recycling numerous boxes and packing materials that are typically discarded in the trash. Instead of filling trash dumpsters, the Green Team (wearing their easily identifiable green coveralls), collected several large receptacles full of materials to be recycled, leaving just a few bags of plastics that were unable to be recycled.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is an undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 371 colleges featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Colleges and is profiled in Loren Pope’s book Colleges That Change Lives. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.