Northwestern in demand

A record 25,000 students have applied for Northwestern University's fall 2008 freshman class. Northwestern officials said that number could go higher as the university continues to process the last wave of applications. In the past three years, the number of applications to Northwestern has jumped 54 percent. The 25,000 applications for the class of 2,025 students represent a 13.9 percent increase over the previous yearly record -- 21,941, set just a year ago for the class entering in fall 2007. Undergraduate enrollment provost Michael Mills is attributing the growth in applications to several factors, including the recent success of Northwestern undergraduates in winning prestigious fellowships like Fulbright and Gates Cambridge awards.