The Master’s College is gearing up for its biggest freshman class in its more than 80-year history.

The Christian liberal arts school in Newhall is expecting 370 first-year students, an increase from the 308 freshmen last year, said Pete Bargas, director of campus ministries at The Master’s College.

The private school counts a total of 982 undergraduate students.

The spike comes as the college has better marketed itself to prospective students, earning it a growing reputation for the education it offers students, Bargas said.

In the 2011 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, The Master’s College tied for second among 26 Western Region Colleges. The college also received high marks for its graduation rate and student-faculty ratios.

According to the report, 81 percent of freshmen return as sophomores, and the college has a graduation rate of 58 percent.

The private school also boosts a diverse population, with 12 percent of the student body comprised of international pupils, Bargas said.

But before classes begin on Monday, the college hosted its annual Week of Welcome, known as WOW, when the entire freshman class learns about college life.

“I think they’re excited,” Bargas said. “They are full of hope, and there are a lot of opportunities.”

There students like Briana Lunsford go through orientation as they adopt to life as a college student.

The 18-year-old Texas native said she was keeping busy and had already learned how to serve others and to love Jesus Christ, she said.

Her classmate Amy Throop came to The Master’s College from Papua New Guinea, where her parents are missionaries.

Throop’s older siblings had attended the college, and Throop was looking forward to studying teacher education, she said.

Students are placed in peer groups with current TMC students who serve as mentors.

“It’s one of the best weeks of the year,” student leader Wills Osborn, 21, said.

It’s the second time Osborn has signed up to be a student leader, which gives the senior a chance to meet hundreds of new people in a week.
“You want them to get involved and break out of their shells, at least for the week,” he said.

Along with workshops about academic success, students venture outside of the Placerita Canyon campus, taking day trips to the beach and learning about the Santa Clarita Valley community.

The students also take part in games and themed nightly dinners meant to give students a bonding experience with their classmates and faculty.

“We want to make sure they feel loved,” Bargas said. “We keep them so busy that they don’t have time to be homesick.”