Before even setting foot on campus, Northwestern’s class of 2012 was already setting records. Deemed by Northwestern President Henry Bienen as the school’s smartest yet, the incoming freshman class’s average combined SAT score was 1428, a seven-point increase from the class of 2011.

But why are they smarter?

According to Associate Provost Michael Mills, increased targeting of high school students and college counselors has really made a difference in “spreading the word” about Northwestern.

“We’ve done a better job of getting our name in front of high school counselors and students,” he said. “We travel more, we invite more college counselors to our campus.”

Additionally, Northwestern started a high school advisory board, in which 20 high-school counselors give advice on admissions and financial aid. This advisory board has helped to make Northwestern more popular among college counselors.

Mills also attributed the rising SAT scores and class ranks to Northwestern’s membership in COFHE (Consortium on Financing Higher Education) and the efforts of the admissions office. COFHE consists of 31 private colleges and universities whose freshmen class’ grade ranks and SAT scores are rising.

But, in comparison to other COFHE members, “the order of magnitude of Northwestern’s increases have been unusual,” Mills said. “We have had some pretty significant spikes over the last couple of years.”

Mills has witnessed some of the most drastic rises in SAT scores over the past three years. Since 2005, the combined verbal and math SAT scores have risen 26 points.

“Measured by all the normal ways people measure a freshman class, such as class rank and SAT scores, this is definitely the strongest class,” Mills said.

Whether higher SAT scores and higher class ranks are true signs of a smarter freshmen class is not completely clear. According to Mills, some faculty members don’t think the seven point increase in SAT scores from the class of 2011 to the class of 2012 can be observed in the classroom.

But Mills added that other faculty members have reported back to the admissions office that students, though always engaged and smart, seem even more intelligent and involved in class than in recent years.

The Northwestern admissions staff expects the trend of rising SAT scores and class ranks to continue. So, Northwestern should prepare to admit the smartest freshmen class once again in the fall of 2009.