Michigan State University’s 2018 freshmen class is expected be among the most diverse due in part to one of the largest contingents of American students from outside of Michigan.
It was Green and White Day on the campus of Michigan State University on Monday.
MSU representatives sat at the ready under tents baring their college’s name or discipline. It was opportunity for prospective students and their parents to take a look around campus.
“I checked out the James Madison college today which is their whole public policy, political science, law mash up thing,” Colin Pauchnik who was in East Lansing on a campus visit said.
Pauchnik made the trek from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania with his mom Kristen. The out-of-state costs which are double what a student from Michigan would pay, don’t deter her.
“My husband and I believe it’s a big world out there and we want our kids to experience all of it,” she said.
Jim Cotter, the Executive Director of Admissions and Recruitment at MSU says out of the 2018 freshmen class about 1,2000 of the anticipated 8,400 students will come from across the United States.
Geographic diversity is a new trend.
“Maybe as short as ten years ago we were very Michigan-centric in terms of our population, and as many as 88 to 90 percent of our freshmen came from the state of Michigan,” Cotter said.
Cotter says some of MSU’s changing demographic is born out of necessity as the number of Michigan high school graduates is decreasing.