Vol. 3, No. 2, April 1998
 
Who Are the 1997 New Century College Freshmen?

A Comparison to Freshmen Nationally
 
Contents
  I. What is the Survey?
  II. Why Go to College?
   

Table 1. Reasons for Going to College
  III. Why Attend Mason?
   

Table 2. Reasons for Attending George Mason
  IV. Was Mason a First Choice?
   

Bar Chart. Mason 1st, 2nd or 3rd Choice?
  V. Educationally Prepared?
   

Table 3. Educational Preparation and Strengths

  VI. Enrollment Options and Financial Concerns
   

Table 4. Enrollment Issues
  VII. What's Likely in College?
   

Table 5. Freshman Students Indicate Chances of...
  VIII. Political Orientation
   

Bar Chart. Political Orientation
  IX. What's Important?
   

Table 6. The Importance of Family, Career, etc...
  X. Do Freshmen Agree?
   

Table 7. Level of Agreement with Political Statements
  XI. Who are the NCC Freshmen?
   

Table 8. Ethnicity
  XII. Financing College
   

Table 9. Financing College
  XIII. What about the Parents?
   

Table 10. Parental Information and Religious Preference
  XIV. Last Year's Activities
   

Table 11. Activities Engaged in During the Last Year

I. What is the Survey?
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In Fall, 1997, 252,082 freshmen at 464 two and four year universities responded to the national freshman survey developed by CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program). The survey has been administered for 32 years to help assess the effects of college on students. Fall 1997 NCC freshmen (n=187) were surveyed at George Mason and are compared in this report to the responses of first-time, full-time university freshmen enrolled at four year public institutions. Fall 1995 and 1996 NCC freshmen were surveyed in earlier years and those reports can be obtained from the Office of Institutional Assessment.

II. Why go to college?
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Listed in Table 1 are the top reasons NCC freshmen decided to attend college.
Table 1. Reasons for Going to College
Reasons "Very Important" for Attending College NCC Public Univ.
Learn more about things 86% 78%
Gain general education 73% 63%
Get a better job 68% 73%
Make more money 67% 72%
Improve reading/study skills 55% 38%
Parents wanted me to go 49% 32%
Become a more cultured person 47% 41%
Prove to others I could succeed 46% 35%

III. Why attend Mason?
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NCC freshmen felt that the "offering of special programs" at Mason (probably enrollment in NCC itself), the opportunity to "live near home" and Mason's "academic reputation" were most important in their decision to attend. Also important for one-quarter or more were size of college, low tuition, and the fact that freshmen through that Mason graduates get good jobs.

Table 2. Reasons for Attending George Mason
Reasons "Very Important" for Attending Mason NCC Public Univ.
Offers special program 40% 21%
Wanted to live near home 31% 15%
Good academic reputation 30% 62%
Size of college 27% 24%
Low tuition 26% 29%
Graduates get good jobs 25% 56%

IV. Was Mason a 1st Choice?
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A majority (53%) of NCC freshmen said that Mason was their 1st choice among those institutions they really wanted to attend. This is less than the public universities national freshmen average of 74%. Thirty percent said GMU was their 2nd choice and for 18% it was a third or lower choice.

 
Figure 2
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V. Educationally Prepared?
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Nearly three-quarters of NCC freshmen reported that their average high school grades were in the B range and only 9% reported an A- to A+ average. Forty percent said they might need remedial work in mathematics (compared to 20% of freshmen nationally) and 21% said they would need remedial work in science. NCC freshmen rated their strengths as "cooperativeness" (78%) and "understanding of others" (73%). NCC freshmen differed most from freshmen nationally on their ratings of their academic ability (58% and 76%, respectively).

Table 3. Educational Preparation and Strengths
Educational Preparation NCC Public Univ.
Avg. High School Grade
A+, A and A- 9% 46%
B+, B and B- 73% 49%
C and C+ 18% 4%
Will need remedial work in:
English 8% 7%
Mathematics 40% 20%
Science 21% 9%
Rate themselves "Above Average" or "Highest 10%"
Cooperativeness 78% 74%
Understanding of Others 73% 67%
Self understanding 61% 61%
Creativity 60% 56%
Leadership 59% 62%
Academic ability 58% 76%
 
VI. Enrollment Options and Financial Concerns
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NCC Freshmen were accepted at a number of other institutions in addition to Mason. Over half (51%) were accepted at one or two other institutions, 14% were accepted at three and 17% at four or more. (See table 4 below.) Further, students reported that living near home was an important reason in their decision to attend Mason, with 67% reporting the University was 50 or less miles from their home.
Over one-third (38%) planned to live with a parent or relative during Fall 1997, compared to 13% nationally. Similar to freshmen nationally, a majority (53%) reported "some" concern over financing college, while 18% said it was a "major" concern.

Table 4. Enrollment Issues
Freshmen Enrollment Issues NCC Public Univ.
# of other college accept(s)
None 19% 8%
One 28% 26%
Two 23% 24%
Three 14% 19%
Four or more 17% 22%
Miles from college to home
5 or less 12% 4%
6 to 10 18% 5%
11 to 50 37% 22%
51 to 100 12% 20%
101 to 500 19% 42%
more than 500 3% 8%
Highest degree planned at current institution
bachelor's 68% 56%
master's 14% 27%
Residence Fall '97
college dorm 59% 80%
w/ parent/relative 38% 13%
other 3% 7%
Concern re: financing college
None 29% 32%
Some 53% 54%
Major 18% 14%

VII. What's likely in college?

NCC and freshmen nationally thought the chances were very good that they would earn a bachelor's degree. While more than half of freshmen nationally (58%) thought they would make at least a B average, slightly less than half of NCC freshman (48%) thought so. NCC freshmen were less likely than freshmen nationally to say their chances of being "satisfied with college" and to "graduate with honors" were very good. They were more likely to say they would participate in community service, change majors or career choice, transfer to another college, participate in student protests, and seek personal counseling. (See Table 5.)

Table 5. Freshmen Students Indicate Chances of...
Chances are "Very Good" Student will... NCC Public Univ.
Get a bachelor's degree 81% 78%
Make at least a B average 48% 58%
Get a job to pay for college expenses 37% 42%
Be satisfied with college 37% 53%
Participate in volunteer or community service 29% 21%
Change major field 20% 16%
Change career choice 19% 15%
Join social fraternity/sorority 19% 20%
Need extra time for degree 15% 8%
Graduate with honors 13% 21%
Transfer to another college 12% 4%
Participate in student protests 9% 5%
Seek personal counseling 8% 5%

VIII. Political Orientation
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NCC freshmen were more likely to say they were "liberal" (30%) and less likely to categorize themselves as "middle of the road" in political orientation when compared to freshmen nationally. However, a majority (51%) of NCC freshmen identified themselves as "middle of the road."
 
Figure 3

IX. What's Important?
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Freshmen were asked to rate the importance of 19 objectives that ranged from "raising a family" to "writing original works." Those that NCC freshmen rated most "important" or "essential" are listed below.

Table 6. The Importance of Family, Career, etc...
Importance to Student NCC Public Univ.
Raise a family 77% 74%
Help others in difficulty 72% 61%
Be very well off financially 71% 76%
Obtain recognition from colleagues 64% 58%
Become authority in my field 62% 67%
Influence social values 56% 37%
Promote racial understanding 54% 32%

X. Do Freshmen Agree?
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Freshmen were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with various social, governmental and political statements. Those statements with which they had the highest agreement rating are reported here.

Table 7. Level of Agreement with Political Statements
Agree "Strongly" or "Somewhat" NCC Public Univ.
A man is not entitled to sex on date. 87% 91%
Government isn't controlling pollution. 85% 81%
Federal government should do more to control handguns. 84% 84%
National health care plan is needed. 78% 69%
Employers can require drug tests. 71% 80%
Abortion should be legal. 66% 57%
Legal status for same sex marriages. 63% 54%
Wealthy should pay more taxes. 62% 61%
Too much concern for criminals. % %
Should prohibit racist/sexist speech. 58% 59%
 
XI. Who are the NCC Freshmen?
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Over one-third of NCC freshmen belong to an ethnic minority group, more than at public universities nationally. Further, the College enrolls proportionally more members of all ethnic groups including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans. Further, 13% of NCC freshmen said that they were non-native speakers of English.

Table 8. Ethnicity*
Freshmen Ethnicity NCC Public Univ.
African American 16% 8%
Asian American 14% 8%
Hispanic American 14% 3%
Native American 6% 2%
White American 64% 82%
Other 8% 5%
*Percentages add to more than 100 because students may mark more than one category. NCC freshmen were more likely to mark multiple categories than public university Freshmen.

XII. Financing College
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Seventy percent of NCC freshmen and 84% of freshmen nationally said they planned to use "parental or family aid" to pay for at least part of their first year's college expenses. Freshmen nationally (31%) were more likely to use grants than NCC Freshmen (10%). The savings category below contains "savings from summer work and general savings. Freshmen nationally, were more likely to report savings from summer work (12%) than NCC freshmen (4%).

Table 9. Financing College
Sources of $1,500 or more of First Year College Funds NCC Public Univ.
Money from parents 70% 84%
Loans (GSL, Perkins) 14% 13%
Other Loans 11% 13%
Grants 10% 31%
Other savings 6% 10%
Savings from summer work 4% 12%
Part/full-time work while student 5% 7%

XIII. What About The Parents?
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Information regarding the parents of NCC freshmen and freshmen nationally are reported here. Religious preferences are also listed.

Table 10. Parental Information & Religious Preference
Parental Information and Religious Preference NCC Public Univ.
Parental Status
Living with each other 72% 74%
Divorced or separated 25% 22%
Parental Income
$49,999 or less 33% 35%
$50,000-99,999 38% 42%
$100,000 or more 29% 22%
# of dependents on parents
one or two 38% 26%
three or four 41% 51%
five or more 22% 24%
Student's Religious preference
Roman Catholic 38% 33%
None 18% 14%
Baptist 16% 11%
Methodist 5% 8%
 
XIV. Last Year's Activities
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NCC freshmen were considerably more likely than freshmen nationally to say they "socialized with different ethnic groups," "worked in a political campaign," "found it difficult to study at home," "overslept and missed class or an appointment," "felt overwhelmed," and "smoked cigarettes." They were less likely to have "tutored another student."

Table 11. Activities Engaged in During the Past Year
Activities Engaged in During the Past Year NCC Public Univ.
Socialized with other students 92% 90%
Socialized with different ethnic groups 87% 67%
Attended a religious service 82% 85%
Performed volunteer work 82% 79%
Lost my temper 77% 78%
Difficult to study at home 62% 54%
Overslept, missed class/appt. 50% 32%
Tutored another student 48% 59%
Felt overwhelmed 45% 29%
Worked in political campaign 29% 11%

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