"I think that the reason that there are so many out freshmen is that there are more people out in high school," Hobbs says. "I know I tell upperclassmen that I was out in high school and they're surprised."

Undergraduates say they definitely see a growing number of out students before college, and a more aggressive style of outness.

"Being part of the largest out gay freshman class represents the changing conditions of gay America," Saccente says. "I've noticed that on the whole, a larger gay visibility within the past few years has led to an easier coming out process for most of us."

It is this generation which has embraced the label "queer" instead of the more cautious "gay, lesbian and bisexual," says BGLSA Co-Chair Lin. "'Queer' symbolizes a newer wave of energy, more encompassing, more radical, more in your face. The older generation is 'gay.'"

At Yale and Brown, undergraduates say they have seen dramatic first year increases as well.

Chitra Ganesh, a junior and co-chair of a group for gay, lesbian and bisexual minority students at Brown, says, "There are more gay freshmen than ever before. I've, noticed that there's been a ton of new faces at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Association (LGBTA)."

The larger number of openly gay high school students is also clear in a new trend in Harvard admissions essays: prospective first-years are writing about the experience of being gay or bisexual.

"We don't keep records or track data," says Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis '78. "But personally in the last few years I've probably noticed a few more who've taken up a gay topic."

One first-year who is a lesbian says she made a conscious choice to high-light her outness on her Harvard application.

"I wrote one essay on summer camp which I sent to nine other schools. It was a good essay, I got into all nine, but it wasn't going to get me into Harvard," she says. "Instead I wrote my Harvard essay on being out and being politically active."

Many students think revealing their sexual orientation can be a plus in a competitive admissions process.

"More and more people are putting queer things on their applications and are getting in because of it," says BGLSA Co-Chair Moon Duchin '96. "Admissions people see being out as a sign of character and maturity."

Lewis says that gay students get no special treatment, however.

"We are looking at personal qualities," she says. "It's not a diversity issue for Harvard."

Students are also increasingly open about sexual orientation on their applications for first-year housing at Harvard.