Jessica Doling, right, with mom, Wendy, unloading

NEWBURGH -- Students in the largest ever freshman class at Mount Saint Mary College flooded the Newburgh campus Friday to meet their new roommates, become familiar with the campus and its services, and prepare for what many say are the most important four years of their academic lives.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking, but definitely exciting,” said 18-year-old Jessica Doling, of Bethel, CT.

Jessica said she had already spent hours on the phone with her two new roommates, whom she had yet to meet, but said she is ready for the adventure.

While most students would answer a question like ‘what are the must-haves for your dorm this year?’ with answers like a laptop, an IPod, some cool posters, and all the Ramen noodles one can eat in a semester, this college student seemed more ideological than most.

“I live in a triple, so I’m going to have to say communication… and an under-bed storage box.”

Most of the 425 freshman students coming to the Mount this year are education and science majors, according to Dean of Enrollment Management at the college Robert Dempsey. The number of students from outside of the region increased; students from the State of New Jersey doubled.

When asked for her primary reason for deciding on the Mount, Doling said playfully, “the view is great.”
While that probably wasn’t the top answer Dempsey and other officials were looking for, they would probably appreciate it.

The Mount invested nearly $800,000 during the summer in renovations to the campus. The college spent more than $300,000 Aquinas Hall, the main academic center, to install new roofing over the theatre and to renovate the financial aid office. The college also spent nearly $300,000 on renovations to the Villa, an administration building, to replace the roof and renovate the president’s office.