WHO THEY ARE | |
Race and ethnicity (more than one identification allowed) | |
American Indian/Alaska Native | 2.6% |
Asian-American/Asian | 10.7% |
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1.2% |
African-American/black | 11.5% |
Mexican-American/Chicano | 7.7% |
Puerto Rican | 1.6% |
Other Latino | 5.2% |
White/Caucasian | 69.7% |
Other | 3.5% |
Parents’ educational level (college degree or higher) | |
Father | 53.0% |
Mother | 56.2% |
First generation in college | |
Yes | 19.5% |
No | 80.5% |
Best estimate of parents’ income | |
Less than $25,000 | 14.6% |
$25,000 to $49,999 | 16.7% |
$50,000 to 74,999 | 18.2% |
$75,000 to $99,999 | 13.0% |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 17.1% |
$150,000 to $199,999 | 8.1% |
$200,000 or more | 12.4% |
Political views | |
Far left | 2.8% |
Liberal | 26.8% |
Middle of the road | 47.5% |
Conservative | 21.1% |
Far right | 1.8% |
HOW PREPARED THEY ARE | |
High school attended | |
Public school (not charter or magnet) | 76.8% |
Public charter school | 2.8% |
Public magnet school | 3.3% |
Private religious/parochial school | 10.7% |
Private independent college-prep school | 5.8% |
Home school | 0.7% |
Subjects studied in high school | |
English (4 years) | 97.9% |
Mathematics (3 years) | 98.9% |
Foreign language (2 years) | 92.8% |
Physical science (2 years) | 61.4% |
Biological science (2 years) | 50.6% |
History/American government (1 year) | 98.9% |
Computer science (1/2 year) | 54.4% |
Arts and/or music (1 year) | 83.0% |
Time spent on selected activities during a typical week during last year of high school | |
Studying/homework | |
Less than one hour | 12.8% |
1 to 5 hours | 48.8% |
6 to 20 hours | 34.3% |
Over 20 hours | 4.1% |
Working (for pay) | |
Less than one hour | 45.7% |
1 to 5 hours | 13.3% |
6 to 20 hours | 30.6% |
Over 20 hours | 10.3% |
Household/child-care duties | |
Less than one hour | 39.6% |
1 to 5 hours | 48.9% |
6 to 20 hours | 9.9% |
Over 20 hours | 1.5% |
Reading for pleasure | |
Less than one hour | 52.9% |
1 to 5 hours | 36.6% |
6 to 20 hours | 9.4% |
Over 20 hours | 1.1% |
Selected activities done ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally’ in past year | |
Tutored another student | 59.3% |
Drank beer | 33.4% |
Drank wine or liquor | 39.2% |
Came late to class | 53.8% |
Skipped school/class | 27.3% |
Fell asleep in class | 46.5% |
Failed to complete homework on time | 52.0% |
Qualities in which student evaluates self as ‘highest 10 percent’ or ‘above average’ | |
Academic ability | 69.0% |
Creativity | 53.4% |
Emotional health | 51.5% |
Leadership ability | 61.1% |
Mathematical ability | 44.8% |
Writing ability | 46.3% |
Ability to see the world from someone else’s perspective | 67.2% |
Tolerance of others with different beliefs | 73.0% |
Openness to having my own views challenged | 54.0% |
Ability to discuss and negotiate controversial issues | 63.2% |
Ability to work cooperatively with diverse people | 79.6% |
HOW THEY PICKED A COLLEGE | |
Number of colleges applied to, in addition to the one where enrolled | |
None | 13.1% |
1 to 5 | 59.5% |
6 to 10 | 22.7% |
11 or more | 4.8% |
Accepted by first-choice college | |
Yes | 76.7% |
No | 23.3% |
Preference status of college where enrolled | |
1st choice | 59.3% |
2nd choice | 25.9% |
3rd choice | 9.3% |
Less than 3rd choice | 5.5% |
Number of miles from college to permanent home | |
5 or less | 5.4% |
6 to 10 | 7.0% |
11 to 50 | 26.3% |
51 to 100 | 15.2% |
101 to 500 | 31.6% |
Over 500 | 14.5% |
Opinion on whether the current economic situation significantly affected college choice | |
Agree strongly | 24.0% |
Agree somewhat | 42.6% |
Disagree somewhat | 19.7% |
Disagree strongly | 13.7% |
Reasons deemed ‘very important’ in deciding to go to college | |
To be able to get a better job | 87.9% |
To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas | 72.8% |
To make me a more cultured person | 50.6% |
To be able to make more money | 74.6% |
To learn more about things that interest me | 82.5% |
To get training for a specific career | 79.3% |
To prepare myself for graduate or professional school | 61.9% |
EXPECTATIONS FOR COLLEGE AND THE FUTURE | |
Planned living arrangements for fall term | |
With my family or other relatives | 17.2% |
Other private home, apartment, or room | 2.8% |
College residence hall | 76.1% |
Fraternity or sorority house | 0.7% |
Other campus student housing | 2.8% |
Other | 0.3% |
Self-defined professional-school aspirations | |
Pre-med | 19.3% |
Pre-law | 6.3% |
Probable major | |
Arts and humanities | 12.2% |
Biological science | 12.9% |
Business | 14.4% |
Education | 5.8% |
Engineering | 10.3% |
Health professions | 14.0% |
Math and computer science | 3.1% |
Physical science | 2.5% |
Social science | 11.1% |
Other majors | 5.6% |
Undecided | 8.1% |
Expected sources for first year’s educational expenses (room, board, tuition, and fees) | |
Family resources (parents, relatives, spouse, etc.) | |
Less than $1,000 | 32.8% |
$1,000 to $9,999 | 35.1% |
$10,000 or more | 32.1% |
My own resources (savings from work, work-study, other income) | |
Less than $1,000 | 64.3% |
$1,000 to $9,999 | 33.0% |
$10,000 or more | 2.6% |
Aid that need not be repaid (grants, scholarships, military funds, etc.) | |
Less than $1,000 | 34.1% |
$1,000 to $9,999 | 36.5% |
$10,000 or more | 29.4% |
Aid that must be repaid (loans, etc.) | |
Less than $1,000 | 51.7% |
$1,000 to $9,999 | 35.2% |
$10,000 or more | 13.1% |
Number of years student expects to take to finish degree at current college | |
3 or fewer | 2.6% |
4 | 84.3% |
5 | 8.6% |
6 or more | 2.7% |
Not planning to graduate from current college | 1.8% |
Highest academic degree planned | |
None | 0.6% |
Vocational certificate | 0.1% |
Associate (A.A. or equivalent) | 0.4% |
Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) | 21.7% |
Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) | 41.8% |
Ph.D. or Ed.D. | 19.4% |
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. (medical) | 10.4% |
J.D. (law) | 4.0% |
B.D. or M.Div. (divinity) | 0.3% |
Other | 1.3% |
Note: Survey results were obtained from nearly 200,000 first-time full-time students entering 283 four-year colleges in 2012, and were statistically weighted to represent the entire group of entering freshmen. Percentages may not add up to 100 because of rounding.
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