Chances are a lot of those confused freshmen wandering campus got better grades in high school than you did.

A record number of applicants sought places in the University's undergraduate class of 2011, making it harder than ever to gain admission.

At the New Student Convocation on Thursday night at Crisler Arena, University faculty and administrators praised those who made it.

"I can say without hesitation that this year's class is more actively engaged and academically well-qualified than any other class in the history of the University of Michigan," said Ted Spencer, director of the University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Whether that's true is difficult to say, but the increasingly competitive admissions process seems to have caused an uptick in the academic credentials of freshman classes over the last several years.

A record 26,796 students applied for a spot in the class of 2011, marking the third straight year of an increase in the number of undergraduate applications. Admissions officers admitted 49.5 percent of applicants this year - a slight increase from last year, when they accepted 47.4 percent, but a sharp drop from 56.9 percent in 2005 and 62.4 percent in 2004.

The middle 50 percent of freshmen in the incoming class had high school GPAs between 3.7 and 4.0. Those numbers are the same as last year, but they're an improvement from the years between 2002 and 2005, when the middle 50 percent of incoming freshmen scored between 3.6 and 3.9.

Twenty-eight percent of freshmen in the classes of 2010 and 2011 had 4.0 GPAs in high school, up from between 22 and 24 percent in the previous several classes.

Spencer said the class stands out because of its members' involvement in public service.

About a third of students volunteered in community health settings during high school, while 62 percent reported participating in civic projects.

In line with the convocation's theme, "Plugged In," speakers suggested ways for incoming students to become engaged on campus.

"A lot of you are already plugged in - to your iPods and your cell phones," said E. Royster Harper, the University's vice president for student affairs. "We hope you'll plug into what is the heart of Michigan, that is, leadership and service."

University President Mary Sue Coleman encouraged students to make the most of their education by exploring Ann Arbor during their freshman year.

"Now that you're at the finest public university in the country, it's time for an assignment," Coleman said.

She said students should visit five places during their first year on campus: the reference room of the Hatcher Graduate Library, the planetarium at the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, the School of Music's E.V. Moore Building for a concert, Michigan Stadium for a football game and her private residence at 815 S. University Ave. to visit her.

Coleman holds an open house at her house at the beginning of each school year.

This year's open house is scheduled for 4 and 5:30 on Tuesday afternoon.