First came the applications: a record 40,676 of them for the 2001 freshman class. Then followed the painstaking process of determining who would be admitted - 10,735 total. Now comes the final hurdle: persuading at least 4,200 to commit by May 1 to becoming a Bruin.

It's the ultimate irony, the result of UCLA's pool of high-caliber prospective students, many of whom are entertaining offers from other top universities. Adding more pressure is the intense competition for historically underrepresented students - African Americans, Chicanos/Latinos and American Indians - whose inclusion ensures campus diversity.

"We've admitted an outstanding group of students who have the opportunity to attend many of the nation's finest universities," said Chancellor Albert Carnesale. "We want these students to know that UCLA will provide them with an excellent education."

Tamika Hunter, a senior at Locke High School in South Central Los Angeles who has been admitted to UCLA, is also considering invitations from Loyola Marymount and Spelman College in Atlanta.

"I'm weighing my options," she said during a campus visit with her mother, Peggy Hunter. They were among the more than 1,200 prospective freshmen and their families who attended two AAP College Scholars Day events on April 14 and 21 hosted by the Academic Advancement Program (AAP), the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools (UARS) and the Alumni Association. Participants attended information-packed sessions, met AAP counselors and toured the campus.

"We want to convince students that UCLA is the place for them," said Adolfo Bermeo, AAP director and assistant vice provost for student diversity. "If they want to be in an exciting, intellectual ambience with lots of things happening at the cutting edge, this is the place."

On April 18 and 19, some 300 college honors-eligible students and their parents met with UCLA faculty and current honors students at College Honors Days.

"Students who are eligible for honors will be some of UCLA's very best students," said Judith L. Smith, vice provost of undergraduate education in the College of Letters & Science. "We want them to take a serious look at UCLA and the unique programs we offer."

Using all the resources at their disposal, students, employees and alumni made every effort to reach prospective freshmen with a personal message of welcome.

"We have a crew of 25 to 40 AAP students making calls every night from Campbell Hall," Bermeo said. "We want to make it clear that at UCLA, we take a large world and make it into a smaller community that they can belong to."

The chancellor delivered his congratulations personally to new Blue and Gold Scholars at Crenshaw and Jefferson high schools. This year, UCLA awarded nearly 100 such awards of up to $5,000, renewable for as many as four years.

More than 100 underrepresented admitted students from Northern California were flown in April 20 as guests of the Alumni Association for Bruin Experience 2001, a weekend of activities with a stay at a residence hall.

Last year's recruitment efforts resulted in a record 40% of admitted students enrolling. Success among underrepresented students was even higher at 45%, an all-time record for a UC campus - but one that Bermeo and his phone-callers are now determined to break.

As the May 1 deadline approaches, recruiters are not planning to let up. "We're going to call them again," Bermeo said with resolve. "The message is, 'We want you at UCLA.' "