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1996 Entering Freshman >
Overall Results
CU-Boulder Entering Freshmen Survey, 1996
Overall Results
Highlights:
Entering freshmen appear to be more socially and self-aware than they are academically,
culturally and CU-aware. They have high academic, social and cultural expectations for their
college career, but do not yet report a high level of knowledge, ability or comfort in a number of
academic or university arenas.
- Social/cultural expectations and aspirations:
- Freshmen assign high ratings to their ability to express their own opinions, be leaders
and interact with other students, take care of and understand themselves.
- The large majority of freshmen anticipate that they will be quite comfortable spending
time in various Boulder community places and in studying or interacting with other
students. But at most half of freshmen think they will feel very comfortable
participating in residence hall or ethnic-related activities.
- In their first year of college, most freshmen expect to have frequent positive social
experiences and an overall positive outlook; 1/4 expect to be frequently discouraged
during the year and under 1/2 expect to be overwhelmed by time demands; at most 1/3
expect to participate frequently in large student-group or racial/ethnic oriented
activities.
- Academic expectations and aspirations:
- Freshmen have high academic aspirations. For example, 3/4 or more expect to do well
academically and graduate from CU-Boulder with a bachelor's degree.
- However, only 2/3 believe they will be very comfortable participating in academic-related activities, and only about half assign high ratings to their current ability to do
various academic-related activities on campus.
- Knowledge and anticipated use of resources:
- A majority of freshmen say they are quite knowledgeable about the Rec Center and UMC, but
at most 1/3 say they have much knowledge of services such as the libraries, academic
advising, and Wardenburg Health Center. At most 10% say they are quite knowledgeable
about more targeted student services such as Student Academic Services Center and Cultural
Unity Student Center.
- A majority of freshmen expect to rely frequently on personal resources (friends,
parents, and themselves) and infrequently on CU-Boulder resources (faculty, academic
counselors) when issues or problems arise.
- Views on diversity issues
- A majority of each racial/ethnic group value the contributions of a multi-cultural
perspective to their social and academic experiences, yet believe the main emphasis
should be on how individuals are alike and not on how racial/ethnic groups differ.
- However, freshmen of color, more than whites, feel that their race is central to their
identity and that a strong racial/ethnic identity is beneficial to themselves and to society
as a whole.
- African Americans also differ from the other groups, in that they are less likely to say a
person of color is the same as whites and that there is too much emphasis on cultural
diversity, and more likely to say that whites need to know about other cultures.
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Racial/ethnic, gender, and residency differences
- Freshmen in each of four racial/ethnic groups (Asian Americans, African Americans,
Hispanic/Chicanos, and whites) gave very similar responses. (There were too few Native
Americans, n=7, to include them in this analysis.) However, some differences exist:
- Students of color responded differently as a group than whites on items that were
primarily focused on racial/ethnic issues. They were more likely to know more about
certain racial/ethnic resources than white freshmen. They also differed from white
freshmen on some racial/ethic viewpoints.
- Hispanic/Chicano responses are very similar to those of whites in other areas.
- Asian Americans, while being quite similar to other freshmen, are less likely to report
feeling very comfortable or capable in social interactions in and out of the classroom.
- African Americans differ the most from other freshmen, especially in their self-reported
social knowledge, abilities and comfort levels, both on-campus and in the larger
Boulder community. They less often report feeling comfortable in Boulder settings
such as the Pearl Street mall and local restaurants, and have more negative expectations
for their CU-Boulder career than any of the other racial/ethnic groups.
- Females and males respond differently in many areas.
- In general women report being more socially and academically involved, having more
positive expectations and being more multiculturally sensitive than men. For example,
they expect to be more capable than males in determining their career goals, more
comfortable working on a class project with other students, more likely to attend study
sessions in the residence halls, and more likely to participate frequently in ethnic
events.
- However, women also feel more pressure about some issues, and expect, more than
males, to feel overwhelmed by time demands and financial worries.
- Colorado residents differ from non-residents in a number of areas as well.
- Residents appear to be more focused, goal-oriented and confident in their ability to
achieve various academic goals than non-residents. For instance, they more frequently
report a high ability to study effectively, participate in class, and solve problems.
- Residents have higher expectations for their college career and more confidence in their
academic strengths and abilities. More than non-residents, they expect to complete a
bachelor's degree at CU-Boulder and to attend graduate school.
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Background:
In October of 1996 SARS surveyed a representative sample of entering freshmen to get a clearer
picture of entering freshmen's needs, aspirations, and abilities. The survey was developed by a
group of faculty, staff and students: Susan Adams, Student Affairs Research Services; Dan
Raybon, Cleo Estrada and Gwen Sunata, Cultural Unity Student Center; Ron Stump, Dean of
Students; Bernadette Park, psychology faculty; Tim Ryan, psychology honors student.
With these data we hope to establish a baseline of what the CU-Boulder freshman class looks
like, to compare results to a spring follow-up survey to see if and how students' views change
over the year, and to provide information to student service units to help in retention and
intervention efforts.
See Appendix A for information on
the population, sample selection, contact methods and response
rates, and Appendix B for the tables
of results on the 9 groups of items we report on below.
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Results over all freshmen:
- Freshmen assign high ratings to their ability to speak up for, take care of, and understand
themselves and to their ability to interact with other students. However, only around half of
freshmen assign high ratings to their ability to do various academic-related activities on
campus.
- Over 75% of freshmen said they are "good" or "very good" at being responsible for
their own behavior, clarifying their own values, expressing their opinions, being a
leader, maintaining their health, and solving problems that come up.
- Between 70-80% of freshmen said they are "good" or "very good" at interacting with
students and making new friends.
- Between 45-55% of freshmen said they are "good" or "very good" at interacting with
professors, identifying and using campus resources, selecting a major, and participating
in class.
- The large majority of freshmen anticipate that they will be quite comfortable spending time in
various Boulder community places and in studying or interacting with other students. About
2/3 believe they will be very comfortable participating in academic-related activities. At most
half of freshmen think they will feel very comfortable participating in residence hall or ethnic-related activities.
- 75% or more of freshmen said they expect to feel "comfortable" or "very comfortable"
eating at Boulder restaurants, shopping in Boulder, spending time on Pearl Street Mall,
attending football or basketball games, studying with students from class, attending
student parties and get-togethers, living in the residence halls, and working on a class
project with other students.
- Slightly less than 2/3 believe they will be comfortable studying in the library, getting
advising on courses, interacting with faculty, and getting academic help.
- At most half of freshmen said they would feel "comfortable" or "very comfortable"
participating in residence hall activities, attending ethnic events, and being in student
group offices at the UMC.
- The large majority of freshmen say they know a lot about themselves (their talents,
weaknesses), but very few say they know a lot about CU-Boulder resources.
- Almost 90% of freshmen reported having "much" or "substantial" knowledge of their
own strengths and weaknesses and of their own talents and interests.
- At most 1/4 of freshmen reported "much" or "substantial" knowledge of CU-Boulder
academic resources, student clubs and organizations, career-related resources, and
ethnic-related resources.
- A majority of freshmen say they are quite knowledgeable about the Rec Center and UMC, but
at most only 1/3 say they have much knowledge of the less glamorous college services, such
as the libraries, academic advising, and Wardenburg Health Center. At most 10% say they are
quite knowledgeable about the more targeted student services, such as Student Academic
Services Center and Cultural Unity Student Center.
- Approximately two-thirds of freshmen reported "much" or "substantial" knowledge
about the UMC and the Recreation Center.
- 18-37% of freshman said they were quite knowledgeable about the libraries, the
financial aid office, and college advising services.
- 10% or less of freshmen said they had "much" or "substantial" knowledge about the
Counseling Services, Career Services, Student Academic Service Center (SASC),
Women's Resource Center, Cultural Unity Student Center (CUSC), Undergraduate
Academic Affairs, Dennis Small Cultural Center, and Student Legal Services.
- In their first year of college, most freshmen expect to have frequent positive social
experiences and an overall positive outlook; 1/4 to under 1/2 expect to be frequently
discouraged or overwhelmed during the year; at most 1/3 expect to participate frequently in
large student-group or racial/ethnic oriented activities.
- 70-90% of freshmen said they expected "often" or "very often" to keep in contact with
their family and friends, socialize with others of their own race/ethnicity, interact with
other students in the residence halls, feel good about themselves, and have rewarding
experiences.
- About 25-45% of freshmen said they expected frequently to become discouraged,
worry about their financial situation, and feel overwhelmed by time demands.
- 1/4 to 1/3 of freshmen said they would frequently participate in residence hall activities
and student club meetings.
- At most 1/4 of freshmen expected "often" or "very often" to attend cultural events on
campus, attend open lectures, attend study sessions in the residence halls, and attend
racial/ethnic sponsored activities.
- 12% expected frequently to meet others who doubted their academic ability, and less
than 5% expected frequently to have conflicts over race/ethnicity.
- Freshmen have high academic aspirations. For example, 3/4 or more expect to do well
academically and graduate from CU-Boulder with a bachelor's degree. They also have high
social aspirations and expect to have an active social life at CU-Boulder, yet fewer than 1/2
expect to join a student club or participate in Greek rush.
- 75% or more said they would "probably" or "definitely" complete their freshmen year
at CU, do very well academically, return to CU next year, complete a bachelor's degree
at CU, and complete a bachelor's degree somewhere. 2/3 of freshmen said they
expected to attend graduate school.
- 80% or more freshmen said they would "probably" or "definitely" feel welcome and
accepted at CU and have an active social life at CU.
- Less than half of freshmen expected to join a student club or organization and
participate in Greek rush.
- A majority of freshmen expect to rely frequently on personal resources (friends, parents, and
themselves) and infrequently on CU-Boulder resources (faculty, academic counselors) when
issues or problems arise.
- 75% of freshmen said they expected "often" or "very often" to rely on friends at CU-Boulder, on themselves, and on parents or other relatives.
- At most 12% of freshmen thought they would rely frequently on CU-Boulder faculty
and instructors and academic counselors.
- Most freshmen believe their own hard work and ability played the biggest part in their being
admitted to CU-Boulder. Very few freshmen attribute their admission to other factors such as
gender, race, or chance.
- At least 2/3 of freshmen said that their high school grades, their intellectual ability,
their hard work in high school, and their scores on entrance exams played "fairly large"
or "large" roles in their admission to CU.
- Less than 7% of freshmen said they were admitted to CU largely because of a special
admissions policy, their race/ethnicity, being in the right place at the right time, their
athletic ability, or their gender.
- A majority of freshmen value the contributions of a multi-cultural perspective to their social
and academic experiences, yet believe the main emphasis should be on how individuals are
alike and not on how racial/ethnic groups differ.
- At least 60% of freshmen "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that a variety of racial/ethnic
perspectives is good, that a person of color is the same as a white person, that we
should celebrate racial/ethnic holidays, and that whites should know about various
ethnic cultures.
- 1/3 believed that there is too much emphasis on cultural diversity.
- About 1/3 of freshmen agree that a strong racial/ethnic identity is beneficial to society,
while 1/4 of freshmen consider their race/ethnicity to be central to their identity.
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Racial/ethnic, gender, and residency differences:
Race/ethnicity
On the majority of items freshmen in each of four racial/ethnic groups (Asian Americans,
African Americans, Hispanics/Chicanos, and whites) responded quite similarly. (There were too
few Native Americans, n=7, to include them in this analysis.) Where there were differences,
African Americans were the least similar to each of the other racial/ethnic groups in their
responses. On items that were primarily focused on racial/ethnic issues, students of color
responded differently as a group than whites, as we had expected.
- Students of color generally know more about certain racial/ethnic resources than white
freshmen.
- Students of color are more likely than whites to report
- having higher knowledge of the Office of Financial Aid, ethnic-related resources, and
the Cultural Unity Student Center.
- that their race/ethnicity and gender played a "fairly large" or "large" role in their
admission to CU
- that their "racial/ethnic heritage is a central part of their sense of identity."
- that they believe a strong racial/ethnic identity is beneficial to people of color and to
society as a whole.
- Hispanics/Chicanos show essentially no differences from whites in their responses to other
non-racial/ethnic items.
- Compared to all other groups, Asian Americans are less likely to report feeling very
comfortable or capable in various social interactions in and out of the classroom, such as
- expressing opinions that are different from others' opinions
- interacting with other students
- being a leader
- making new friends
- participating in classroom discussions
- attending CU football/basketball games on campus
- attending student parties or informal get-togethers
- interacting with faculty outside the classroom
- participating in fraternity/sorority rush
- interacting with students in their residence halls
- Compared to all other groups, African Americans are less likely to report feeling very
comfortable in social interactions both on campus and in the larger Boulder community.
However, they report being more comfortable participating in ethnic-related events.
- African Americans report feeling less comfortable in the following campus and
community settings
- spending time on the Pearl Street Mall
- eating at Boulder restaurants
- staying on campus on weekends.
- They expect to participate more often in racial/ethnic sponsored activities than other
racial/ethnic groups.
- They expect more frequent encounters with others who doubt their academic ability,
less frequent rewarding experiences, and more frequent conflicts and negative
experiences over race/ethnicity.
- They expect to rely less on friends from CU-Boulder as a resource, to feel less welcome
at CU-Boulder, and to have a less active social life at CU than other freshmen.
- They agree less than other freshmen with the statements:
- A person of color is the same as whites.
- There's too much emphasis on cultural diversity.
- They are more in agreement than other freshmen with the statements:
- Whites need to know about cultures.
- I prefer to live with diverse neighbors.
- A strong racial/ethnic identity is beneficial to people of color and to society as a
whole.
- In addition, whereas Hispanics/Chicanos and Asian Americans say they expect to interact
more frequently with others of a different race/ethnicity than with their own, African
Americans, like whites, expect to interact more frequently with others of their own
race/ethnicity and less frequently with others of a different race/ethnicity.
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Gender
- Females and males differ in many areas in their responses. In general women report having
greater social and academic expectations, and being more culturally sensitive than men. They
appear to be more focused and goal-oriented, and more positive in their expectations.
However, they also report feeling somewhat more pressure about some issues than their male
counterparts.
- For example, females give higher ratings than males to their ability, comfort level, or
expected involvement in:
- determining their career goals
- participating in residence hall activities
- holding others accountable
- being a leader of a student group
- being in student group offices at the UMC
- attending meeting of a student club
- participating in residence hall activities
- attending study sessions in the residence halls
- spending time in UMC eating areas
- joining a student club or organization
- participating in ethnic events
- socializing with others of a different race/ethnicity
- Male freshmen, however, report feeling quite a bit more comfortable than female
freshmen "spending time on the Hill."
- Females rate their knowledge of two student service resources higher than male
freshman:
- Wardenburg Student Health Center
- Women's Resource Center
- Males, however, rate their knowledge of academic resources slightly higher than
females.
- Females expect to have more frequent worries and concerns than males, such as
- feeling overwhelmed by time demands
- worrying about finances
- Female freshmen also expect, more than males, that they will often rely on friends and
family when problems or needs arise--specifically on
- parents and/or other relatives
- friends from home and/or high school
- friends at CU-Boulder
- Male freshmen, more than females, attribute their admission to CU to their scores on
entrance exams.
- Females' views on racial/ethnic issues differ from males' views in some areas. Females
believe more strongly than males that
- Whites need to know about other cultures.
- We should celebrate racial/ethnic holidays.
- And, they prefer, more strongly than males, to live in racially/ethnically diverse neighborhoods.
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Residency
- Resident freshmen differ from non-resident freshman in a number of areas. In general,
residents appear to be more focused, goal-oriented and confident in their ability to achieve
various academic goals; thus, they have higher expectations for their college career and more
confidence in their academic strengths and abilities. In addition they report relying more
heavily on external resources, such as academic and career-related resources, than do non-resident freshmen.
- Residents report a higher ability than non-residents to
- study effectively
- manage time and tasks
- express their opinions
- participate in class
- deal with academic pressures
- select a major
- solve problems
- determine career goals
- identify campus resources
- Residents also report more knowledge than non-residents of
- their own talents and interests
- their own strengths and weaknesses
- academic resources
- career-related resources
- Residents appear to have somewhat higher short- and long-range academic goals than do non-residents.
They also have more positive expectations. They expect more than non-residents to
- receive acknowledgement for their success
- have rewarding experiences
- contribute in class
- return to CU next year
- complete a bachelor's degree at CU
- complete a bachelor's degree somewhere
- attend graduate or professional school
- Non-residents, however, are slightly more likely than residents to expect they
will encounter others who doubt their academic ability.
- Residents, more than non-residents, attribute their admission to CU to
- their high school grades
- working hard in high school
- Non-residents are slightly more likely, however, to attribute their admission to
CU to their scores on their entrance exams.
- In addition, residents expect, more than non-residents, to rely frequently on parents and other
relatives when problems or needs arise.
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Cathy Kerry - l:\ir\fr96\fr96frq5.htm
June 26, 1997
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