As Gettysburg College welcomes the Class of 2013, the breadth of the first-year students' achievements is quite impressive.

From a United States figure skating competitor to a student who sang for the Pope to one who can solve a Rubik's Cube in 38 seconds, the first-year students' experiences span a very wide spectrum. More accomplishments are listed below.

Only 40 percent were admitted from among 5,448 applicants, one of the largest applicant pools in Gettysburg College's 177-year history. "This was an amazing applicant pool and admission was highly competitive this year," said Director of Admissions Gail Sweezey.

The first-year students represent 29 states and 11 foreign countries. The following list is a highlight of the accomplishments they bring to Gettysburg.

• Fluent in Hindi and Gujarati and can hold conversations in French and Latin
• Certified EMT and Volunteer Firefighter who participated in a medical mission trip to
Ethiopia with the World Surgical Foundation
• National Merit Semifinalists
• US Figure Skating Competitor
• Girl Scout Gold Award
• World Youth Tour to Australia participant
• Competed in NY City Marathon and AIDS marathon
• Member of state championship teams for field hockey and women's lacrosse
• Co-authored paper on fluid dynamics and participated in the NJ Chemistry Olympics
• Raises sheep
• Lobbied at their State House for added funding for education.
• Founder and President of InterAct Club that organizes fundraisers for Darfur
and the Dominican Republic
• More than 236 community service hours
• Mission trip to El Salvador
• Participated in Ecological study of Vermont streams in collaboration with the University of VT,
St Michael's College and Middlebury College
• Coaches basketball for Special Olympics and is president of Special Olympics at his school.
• Students who have traveled all over the world with People to People.
• Bell ringer for Salvation Army
• Learning three different Languages - Spanish, German and Chinese
• Participated in mission trips to Dominican Republic, Biloxi, Mississippi, Namibia and West Virginia
• Traveled to Berlin and saw 300,000 people crowd streets to see Barack Obama speak.
• Studied abroad junior year in Italy.
• Active in raising puppies for Seeing Eye program
• Participated in American Cancer Society 60-mile Bike-A-Thon.
• Band has released one CD and working on a next one
• Co-founder and president of Global Cause, student-led group dedicated toward
improving quality of life for children in Africa.
• Ambassador for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation which lobbied PA Legislators on a Special Diabetes Bill
• Selected to the 2009 All-Eastern Honors Orchestra. Played w/Portland String Quartet
• Plays the Mandolin
• Many students who volunteered for Katrina relief efforts
• Member of a premier brass ensemble, Bravo Brass of Philadelphia
• Raises money to send to Ghana by making jewelry, potpourri, and soap and selling it at craft shows.
• Collected over 400 pairs of eyeglasses to send to third world countries.
• Teaches gymnastics to autistic children and with other special needs.
• Member of an Israeli dance troupe and attended a high school in Israel
• Participated in the Pan-Mass Challenge-bike ride which raised money for cancer research
• Volunteered over 500 service hours to a therapeutic riding program
• Built an ice rink for community use
• Outdoor enthusiast- hiked Grand Canyon; kayaked Prince William Sound, Alaska;
scuba diving in Curacao; rode a camel in Morocco
• Worked with McCain campaign; likes political blogging
• Congressional Medal of Honor Writing Contest Award Recipient
• Robotics team finished fourth in the world last year
• Went to Italy with school choir and sang for the Pope
• Traveled on a 100-mile hike through the New Mexican desert with Boy Scouts
• Triathalon participant who is an EMT Volunteer Ambulance member and Meals on Wheels volunteer
• Can solve a Rubiks Cube in 38 seconds
• Teaches English to Hispanic students
• Conducted research on mammals and snowshoeing in the Adirondack Park, NY
• Raised money and awareness for banana farmers in Nicaragua
• Organized a project to send sneakers and sports equipment to Haitian boys
• First chair violin with the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra and Chamber Music
and played in a mariachi band.
• Direct descendant of a Declaration of Independence signer
• Rafted down a portion of the Potomac River in a homemade raft
• Backup singer for Carrie Coltrane, a Jazz/Pop artist
• Newspaper reporter for their city's daily news
• 4-H Dog show Grand Champion
• Restored a 1977 corvette
• Sings in eleven languages
• Is part of a chase crew for hot air balloon pilots
• Is a glider pilot
• Helped build irrigation systems and churches in Kenya
• Played at Carnegie Hall
• Ancestor fought in the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With a student body of approximately 2,600, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

By: Kendra Martin, director of media relations, 717.337.6801