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The first-year students who arrived on campus Sunday boast the strongest academic credentials of any entering class in the university’s history. But rest assured, they are way more than smart. �Ӱ���Ƶ’s Director of Undergraduate Admission Robert McCullough this week provided his annual review of the group he and his staff so painstakingly assessed over the past several months—and in some cases, years. If any one word exemplifies these young people, it is “eclectic.” Included within the Class of 2017 are students who:

• canoed in the Arctic;
• played in the Little League World Series;
• earned a pilot’s license and flew solo across the country;
• sailed from Erie, Pa., to Duluth, Minn.;
• ranked third in the world in robotics;
• raised seven grand champion calves;
• created a “smart” sprinkler system that knows when the grass needs watered;
• have a patent pending for a medical device that extracts blood clots; and
• developed a thermometer that plugs into an iPhone, takes temperatures of chronically ill children—while entertaining them with video on the phone—and then sends results back to their doctors.

The Class of 2017 hails from 893 high schools, 45 states and 17 foreign countries. Nearly 75 percent of the class comes from outside Ohio, while just under 12 percent are from outside the United States. Nearly 15 percent of the class has a family member who attended �Ӱ���Ƶ, and 24 percent learned a first language other than English. The most common first name in the class is Daniel, followed by Michael and Benjamin. For women, the most common first name is Emily, followed by Lauren and Elizabeth. The Class of 2017 is so global that the list of top 10 hometowns is led by Beijing, which had 31 students arrive in Cleveland this month. In fact, two other Asian cities also made the top 10: 1. Beijing 2. Cleveland 3. Shanghai 4. Solon, Ohio 5. Pittsburgh 6. San Jose, Calif. 7. Cincinnati 8-tie. Shaker Heights, Ohio 8-tie. Medina, Ohio 10-tie. New York 10-tie. Seoul, South Korea 10-tie. Portland, Ore. 10-tie. Cleveland Heights, Ohio 10-tie. Brooklyn, N.Y. Please join us in welcoming the Class of 2017 to �Ӱ���Ƶ.