It Happens Every Spring Winding up a three-month process of reviewing applications for the class of 1999, Paul White lugged more than 7,800 decision letters to his jeep last week and sent the good news and bad news out to high school seniors waiting anxiously in all 50 states , 23 countries, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. White's first selection process since becoming director of undergraduate admissions at Homewood in September also marked the second highest number of undergraduate applications received by the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering; there were 8,400 applications in 1993. "From what I've heard, this was the most qualified applicant pool the university has seen in recent years," he said. Despite the flood of applications, White said the number of acceptance letters to hit the post box for next year's freshman class was the lowest in years. Approximately 600 Arts and Sciences students and only 275 Engineering students will be admitted this fall. "We were more selective because we want to keep the size of the student body at a level more compatible with our resources," White said. With the mail dropped, White's job is only half complete. Next week, the Admissions Office will hold a weeklong program on and off campus to convince accepted students to accept Hopkins.