Look around you. Our campus is becoming more and more crowded every semester and this fall is no different.

This semester, UW-Whitewater has a record enrollment of 11,615 undergraduates. More students at Whitewater will translate to more money for the university. However, the university has to draw a line when it comes to admitting students.

While it is a good thing that students are interested in UW-Whitewater, the university must also meet the needs of current students.

Compared to other UW System schools, UW-Whitewater’s admission policies are among the most lenient.

According to cappex.com, a college search website, the 75th percentile of incoming freshmen had an ACT composite average of 24. The score is among the lowest in the UW System with universities such as UW-Eau Claire (26), UW-La Crosse (27) and UW-Stevens Point (25) posting higher averages. Whitewater also admitted 83 percent of students who applied, as opposed to UW-Stevens Point (80 percent), UW-La Crosse (67 percent) and UW-Eau Claire (70 percent). With overcrowding in the residence halls becoming a problem for the university, it is time that admission requirements be raised.

Business students have classes in the state-of-the-art Hyland Hall, while the College of Letters and Sciences will soon have classes in a freshly renovated Carlson Hall. The University Center is an excellent place to study, eat or play and Starin Hall provides a modern place for students to live on campus while they can also enjoy the perks of an apartment-style living space.

The campus has seen a great deal of change over the last few years. As current students enjoy the benefits from the new facilities, prospective students should have to present a résumé that is more complete since the university offers more than in years past.

Although the UW System already is considered one of the best in the nation, if UW-Whitewater raised its admission standards the UW System would be even more impressive. However, students are more interested on how the raised admission standards would benefit them.

While raising tuition again is a grim possibility, we would all benefit from having more peers entering the university who are ready for college as freshmen.

If the university continues to let in more students than it has room for, prospective students might hesitate to apply in the future if it means they may have to live on their own earlier than expected.
We all want prospective students to have a shot at attending UW-Whitewater. However, if the admission standards aren’t going to become tougher, then everybody, current students and new freshmen included, will be uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the amount of students added.

It is great that more students want to go to school at UW-Whitewater. Unfortunately, we just don’t have room for them.