The Life and Times of the Class of 2005*

They are 699 strong. They were admitted from among 5,690 applicants. They are the most selective class in Vassar’s history: 34% of applicants admitted. They have SAT scores that average 690 verbal and 660 math. They are from 46 states and 14 countries. They identify themselves as 64% women, 36% men, 88% Caucasian, 9% Asian, 6% African American, 6% Latino/Latina, and 1% Native American.

• They have never lived in a time without AIDS.
• They have never lived in a time without MTV or CNN.
• They have never lived in a time without Michael Jordan.
• Three of four presidents in their lifetimes have been Republican.
• There has always been a woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather have always been network news anchors.
• There has been one pope.
• Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" was a chart-topping album the year they were born.
• John Lennon has always been a historical figure.
• Prince Charles and Lady Diana were always married, until they weren’t.
• Jaws and Star Wars have always been "classics."
• Atari’s Pong and Pac Man are antidiluvian.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial predates their birth.
• They were age 3 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.
• They were 6 when the Berlin Wall came down.
• They were 8 when the Gulf War occurred and when the USSR crumbled.
• They were 12 when the bomb exploded in Oklahoma City.
• They were 16 when a teenager killed 13 students at Columbine High School.
• In the lifetime of the class of 2005, no American political leader has been assassinated.
• They have never paid less than a dollar per gallon for gasoline.
• Computers and compact discs have always been everyday essentials.
• Roe v. Wade has always been the law of the land.
• Earth Day has been celebrated each year.
• Bell-bottoms and hiphuggers are "retro."

* Assume birth date of Jan. 1, 1983