Jordan Jones, an Academy of Math and Science junior from Fort Wright, has two pieces of advice for the new class of academy students accepted last week.

“Study,” she said. “Also, learn to do your laundry.”

The class of 60 high school sophomores will come to the academy next year from 34 counties, Academy Director Tim Gott said.

Students from 87 of Kentucky’s 120 counties will have attended or will be attending the academy when the new class arrives, he said.

Julia Roberts, director of the Center for Gifted Studies, said she’s proud that the academy attracted students from counties across the state.

“That’s what we want,” she said. “It’s a school for the state.”

The most students in the academy’s first two years came from Bowling Green and nearby Hardin County, Gott said. But Boone County had the most incoming students this year.

“I was very surprised and pleased that a county three hours away had such a large representation,” he said.

The academy’s growing applicant pool may allow for a wider representation of counties, Gott said.

When the academy opened in fall 2007, 100 incoming juniors applied. Last year, 130 applied, he said.

This year, 160 students applied, creating more competition and raising admissions standards, Gott said.

“It’s an amazing group of kids,” he said.

Incoming students had an average 3.9 grade point average at their high schools and an average ACT score of 28.7, he said.

Jones said some academy students lose sight of academic responsibility once they arrive.

“A lot of people get here and are so excited to meet so many other people like them that they forget what they are here to do,” she said.

The students who focus on school have encouraged Western to set high expectations for incoming academy students, Gott said.

He said many students have taken upper level courses within their interests, and administrators will encourage incoming students to engage in research projects and compete for national awards and scholarships.

This year, several academy students achieved national recognition, including Dalton Hubble, an academy senior from Rineyville, who won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for his science research, Gott said.

“We’ve kind of set the standard this year that we can do that,” he said.

Current academy students have also paved the way for incoming students to integrate smoothly with college students, Gott said.

“I really think there was some fear at the front end that academy kids would take away opportunities from students,” he said.

But academy students have proven that isn’t the case, Gott said.

“For the most part, we’ve integrated like any other program,” he said.