La Sierra kicks off ’09-10 with 12.2% freshman jump

She considered other schools. But La Sierra University's spiritual atmosphere and smaller, friendlier size prompted freshman and Riverside resident Sara Martinez to enroll in the pre-nursing program here, she said. Since classes began four weeks ago she's been “really busy getting to know people and adjusting to college life. It's been great so far,” remarked the fledgling collegian.

Martinez is among 348 freshmen to join the La Sierra campus this fall, and one of 1,857 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled for the 2009-2010 academic season. This year's entering class is La Sierra's largest of the past three years and a 12.2% increase over last year's class. The number of freshmen entering La Sierra totaled 310 last fall, 337 in 2007, and 323 in 2006.

Kevin Kim, an academic coach with La Sierra's Center for Student Academic Success noted that this year's freshman class arrived well prepared academically and emotionally for life in higher education. Many young collegians entered La Sierra with high scores, many in the 700 range per test section, for the SAT and ACT tests. The class also includes several National Merit scholars, Kim said. Additionally the young students often seem to have a firm grasp of what they need to do to succeed in college and have set long-term goals, he said.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)