• Marquette applications increased by 1,886 this year.
• Marquette received almost 15,000 applications from the class of 2008, more than 8,000 have been accepted
• Marquette is aiming for a freshman class of 1800 to 1850
• The increase is attributed to more students attending college, students applying to more colleges and students wanting to keep options open

Marquette had another record-breaking year of applicants, receiving nearly 15,000 applications for the class of 2012.

So far this school year the Marquette admissions office handled 14,922 applications from hopeful freshmen, up 1,886 from 2007, said Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Robert Blust.

"We're shooting for a freshman class of 1,800 to 1,850 this year," Blust said.

Marquette has already accepted more than 8,000 applicants. Last year's yield percentage, or number of students who chose Marquette compared to the number accepted, was a little more than 20 percent, Blust said.

Blust said he thinks one cause for the increase in freshman applicants is Marquette's reputation.

"I think one of the major factors for us is just that students are happy with their experience at Marquette and its generated more and more interest," Blust said.

Other factors include students applying to more colleges. More students attending colleges also contributes to the continuing increase in applicants.

"But certainly there are schools that haven't had the increase we've had over the last few years," Blust said.

Annette Cleary, director of college counseling at Marquette University High School, said there have absolutely been increases in the number of applications students fill out. She attributes it to students wanting to keep their options open in addition to more students attending college and the hype that goes along with applying.

Cleary said at MUHS students average five to six applications per student. She said college admissions offices usually recommend applying to three to eight colleges.

"I typically don't encourage just one application because of how unpredictable in some ways admissions have become," Cleary said.

Some students go overboard on filling out applications, Cleary said.

"I have a handful of kids who do more than 12 applications, maybe 15, maybe 17," Cleary said. "I don't think they realize how much work they are and how much work it is later to narrow it down to one (college)."

Jerry Patron, a senior at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind. who was recently accepted to Marquette, said he applied to four colleges because he wanted to keep his options open.

"I was really only considering two, so the other two were backups," he said.

Patron said he is in the middle of his peers in the number of applications he submitted. He said he doesn't think there is a need for students to apply to as many colleges as some do.

"I think it's kind of just excess, most people who apply to 10 actually only want to go to two or three," Patron said.

Blust said so many applications has led to a very large wait list for Marquette this year, filled with good students.

"Students who are good students who we'd like to have at Marquette but we don't have space for get on a wait list," Blust said. "Then we wait to see how students accepted decide and then we go to those accepted on the wait list."