2012 Noel-Levitz Research Report The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year This companion report to Noel-Levitz’s 2012 National Freshman Attitudes Report examines the self- reported attitudes, motivations, and needs of college freshmen at the beginning vs. the middle of the 2011-2012 academic year, based on survey responses from a sizable sample of more than 4,000 freshmen attending college in 2011-2012. Highlights appear below. By the middle of their first year… • Only about half or less of the freshman respondents at private and public four-year institutions reported they had received help with career planning. • Two-thirds of the respondents indicated they “get along well” with people who openly disagree with them, up from just over half at the start of the year. • Fifty-fi ve percent of the respondents at two-year public institutions, 18 percent of the respondents at four-year public institutions, and 9 percent of the respondents at four-year private institutions reported they planned to transfer to another college or university to complete a degree or program. Complete fi ndings appear in the appendix on pages 5-11, including 29 changes in student attitudes between the beginning vs. the middle of the freshman year and up to 12 areas where students’ receptivity to assistance at the start of the year exceeded students’ actual usage of support services by mid-year. To access Noel-Levitz’s 2012 National Freshman Attitudes Report, visit www.noellevitz.com/FreshmanReport. Findings color key: 4-year private institutions 4-year public institutions 2-year institutions, public and private What are the implications of these findings? What should colleges and universities do with the fi ndings in this report? How might these fi ndings affect campus practices and policies? For a discussion of possible responses to the data, read this related blog post from Noel-Levitz, “What these college freshmen want but aren’t getting by mid-year: Findings from a new Noel-Levitz report,” available at blog.noellevitz.com. Many freshmen who expressed interest in career planning assistance at the beginning of the academic year still hadn’t received it at mid-year Table 1 below shows examples of gaps between students’ receptivity to assistance at the start of the For more freshman year and students’ usage of assistance by the middle of the freshman year. Note that the findings, gaps can be negative or positive. For example, the positive gaps in tutoring, shown below, indicate please that more freshmen had received tutoring assistance by mid-year than had initially indicated a desire see the for tutoring at the start of the year. appendix For more gaps of this type, see the appendix on pages 7 and 8, including fi ndings on freshman on pages receptivity to assistance at the middle of the 2011-2012 academic year. 5-11. Table 1: Freshman attitudes toward receiving assistance at the start vs. middle of the fi rst year Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year institutions private institutions public institutions (public and private) Selected Start of Start of Start of survey items Received Received Received year: year: year: help by Gap help by Gap help by Gap Receptivity Receptivity Receptivity mid-year mid-year mid-year to help to help to help Freshman receptivity to assistance I would like to receive help with an educational plan to 65.3% 37.9% -27.4% 70.0% 45.8% -24.2% 69.2% 61.4% -7.8% prepare for a good job. I would like help in 48.3% 50.3% 2.0% 63.3% 60.0% -3.3% 66.0% 71.0% 5.0% improving my study habits. I would like to receive tutoring in one or more of 38.8% 39.0% 0.2% 48.5% 54.1% 5.6% 45.0% 49.2% 4.2% my courses. I would like to talk with someone about getting a 52.6% 34.3% -18.3% 50.8% 33.6% -17.2% 41.8% 32.7% -9.1% part-time job. Across institution types, some of the biggest gaps between freshman receptivity to assistance at the start of the freshman year compared to freshman usage of services by the middle of the freshman year were in the area of career services, as shown in the example below. For more career services gaps, see page 7 of the appendix. Source of data The data in this report were drawn from 4,028 fi rst-year undergraduate students in fall 2011. The students initially completed a 100-item Gap in career planning motivational assessment, Noel-Levitz’s CSI-B, during orientation or within their fi rst weeks of classes, then later completed a follow-up Two-thirds of incoming assessment, the Mid-Year Student Assessment (MYSA), near the end By mid-year, less than freshmen at four-year half of the students of their fi rst term. For more information on Noel-Levitz motivational institutions reported they reported they had assessments and this study, see page 12. For a demographic wanted “help with an educational plan to received this type breakdown of the respondents, see pages 9-11. of assistance. prepare for a good job.” Caution: It should be noted that the colleges and universities participating in this study made substantial, targeted efforts to address the needs identifi ed by their students at the start of the year prior to assessing students’ needs and attitudes at mid- year. Hence, the fi ndings in this study are likely conservative for higher education as a whole. For example, in the absence of such substantial, targeted interventions, negative gaps are likely to be even more pronounced, and positive gaps are likely to be less pronounced or may, in fact, be negative. 2 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • Research Report: The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year Freshmen appear to become more tolerant of others’ opinions after half a year of college For more Table 2 shows examples of attitudinal changes among freshmen after half a year of college. Again, changes like changes can be positive or negative. For instance, Table 2 shows that many freshmen reported more these, see favorable attitudes toward their families and toward educators. This study also found that freshmen at the appendix four-year public institutions consistently reported less favorable attitudes toward educators than their counterparts at other institution types. on pages 5 and 6. Table 2: The attitudes of freshmen toward other people, including those who disagree with them Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year institutions private institutions public institutions (public and private) Selected survey items Start of Middle of Start of Middle of Start of Middle of freshman freshman Change freshman freshman Change freshman freshman Change year year year year year year Freshman attitudes toward other people I get along well with people who disagree with my 57.3% 70.9% 13.6% 59.4% 70.6% 11.2% 53.5% 66.1% 12.6% opinion openly. My family and I communicate very well, and we have a good 72.7% 80.4% 7.7% 72.0% 78.8% 6.8% 61.5% 73.9% 12.4% understanding of each other’s point of view. Most of my instructors are very caring and dedicated. (Refers to high school 80.6% 84.8% 4.2% 80.7% 71.8% -8.9% 82.5% 86.5% 4.0% instructors for start of year and to college instructors for middle of year) One of the strongest positive shifts in freshman attitudes from the start of the freshman year to the middle of the freshman year was in students’ ability to relate well to people who openly disagreed with them. This fi nding appears to fulfi ll a long-held view of higher education as a place that fosters tolerance of others’ viewpoints—a fi nding that has extra salience in today’s global environment. 80% Middle of year 70% Start of year 70.9% 70.6% 66.1% 60% 59.4% 57.3% 53.5% 50% 40% © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 3 Satisfaction readings show freshmen at mid-year are working to find their place Findings on freshmen satisfaction at mid-year are available for the fi rst time in this report, below and See more in the appendix on page 8. These ratings of satisfaction cover a variety of areas that are known to be satisfaction important to college student retention and completion. readings As with the rest of this report, institutions whose students participated in this study received campus- on page specifi c aggregate fi ndings and individual student reports in order to better understand their students’ 8 in the experiences. For more information, please see page 12. appendix. Table 3: Freshmen satisfaction at the middle of the 2011-2012 academic year Mean satisfaction levels (1=low satisfaction, 7=high satisfaction) Student satisfaction— 4-year private institutions 4-year public institutions 2-year public and private selected items Freshman satisfaction at mid-year Sense of belonging to this 5.53 5.28 5.57 college community Level of interaction with 5.62 5.18 5.60 faculty in class Level of interaction with 4.95 4.66 4.93 faculty outside of class Interaction with advisor 5.23 5.23 5.33 Freshman satisfaction readings at mid-year, available for the fi rst time in this report, indicate how well freshmen are adjusting to their campus communities. College completion indicators at mid-year: Many freshmen in this study reported they did not plan to fi nish or were undecided When asked about their plans for college 90% completion at mid-year, only 75 percent of 83.4% 80% freshman at four-year public institutions, only 74.8% 83 percent of freshmen at four-year private 70% institutions, and only 39 percent of freshmen at two-year public institutions indicated they 60% planned to fi nish a degree or program of study at their current institution. For further 50% breakdowns, including the proportions of students who planned to transfer to another 38.9% 40% institution, please see page 11 in the appendix. 30% 20% 10% 0% I plan to complete my degree or program of study at this college or university 4 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • Research Report: The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year Appendix/Complete Findings Complete fi ndings of this study are included below and on the pages that follow. The fi rst table below identifi es 29 changes in freshman attitudes between the beginning vs. the middle of the 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 a c a d e m i c y e a r . Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year private public institutions Survey items institutions institutions (public and private) Start Middle Start of Middle Start Middle Change Change Change of year of year year of year of year of year Desire to fi nish college I have a very strong desire to continue my education, and I am quite determined 96.5% 94.7% -1.8% 96.9% 94.4% -2.5% 94.7% 93.3% -1.4% to fi nish a degree. I am very strongly dedicated to fi nishing college—no matter what obstacles get 96.2% 94.8% -1.4% 96.2% 93.8% -2.4% 94.5% 93.2% -1.3% in my way. I am deeply committed to my educational goals, and I’m fully prepared to make the 92.7% 93.8% 1.1% 93.0% 91.9% -1.1% 88.5% 89.3% 0.8% effort and sacrifi ces needed to attain them. Of all the things I could be doing at this point in my life, going to college is 85.4% 84.3% -1.1% 88.8% 86.6% -2.2% 85.3% 85.0% -0.3% defi nitely the most satisfying. Attitude toward educators (refers to high school educators for start of year and to college educators for middle of year) My instructors respect me as a person 87.4% 90.7% 3.3% 86.3% 84.0% -2.3% 77.8% 91.0% 13.2% and treat me fairly. Most of my instructors are very caring 80.6% 84.8% 4.2% 80.7% 71.8% -8.9% 82.5% 86.5% 4.0% and dedicated. I like my instructors, and I feel they do a 78.0% 85.0% 7.0% 80.1% 77.7% -2.4% 79.5% 89.1% 9.6% good job. Intellectual interests Books have always broadened my 67.7% 74.0% 6.3% 56.8% 63.8% 7.0% 48.0% 60.4% 12.4% horizons and stimulated my imagination. I get a great deal of personal satisfaction 55.4% 67.2% 11.8% 46.6% 57.8% 11.2% 45.2% 57.0% 11.8% from reading. Study habits (refers to high school habits for start of year and to college habits for middle of year) I take very careful notes during class, and I review them thoroughly before a 72.2% 75.7% 3.5% 66.4% 68.8% 2.4% 67.7% 62.2% -5.5% test. I study very hard for all my courses, even 67.6% 75.5% 7.9% 61.3% 71.8% 10.5% 62.2% 73.6% 11.5% those I don’t like. I have developed a solid system of self- discipline, which helps me keep up with 65.6% 79.3% 13.7% 61.9% 77.0% 15.1% 57.3% 72.5% 15.2% my class assignments. © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 5 Chan g e s i n f r e s h m a n a t t i t u d e s , c o n t i n u e d . . . Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year private public institutions Survey items institutions institutions (public and private) Start Middle Start Middle Start Middle Change Change Change of year of year of year of year of year of year Math and science confi dence I have a very good grasp of the scientifi c 54.2% 62.4% 8.2% 49.3% 62.2% 12.9% 40.5% 58.5% 18.0% ideas I’ve studied. I have always enjoyed the challenge of 38.1% 52.8% 14.7% 39.8% 56.4% 16.6% 32.7% 51.0% 18.3% trying to solve complex math problems. I have a very good understanding of general biology and other science 41.9% 58.2% 16.3% 38.9% 60.8% 21.9% 34.5% 56.5% 22.0% courses I have studied. Verbal confi dence I am capable of writing a very clear and 69.6% 83.8% 14.2% 61.6% 76.9% 15.3% 47.5% 75.4% 27.9% well-organized paper. I pick up new vocabulary words quickly and fi nd it easy to use them in my speech 56.6% 69.5% 12.9% 50.9% 64.4% 13.5% 47.7% 64.5% 16.8% and writing. I am very good at fi guring out the deeper 54.1% 69.6% 15.6% 50.1% 66.3% 16.2% 47.5% 66.0% 18.5% meaning of a short story or novel. Career closure I have found a potential career that 73.4% 72.9% -0.5% 76.9% 79.1% 2.2% 77.2% 80.8% 3.6% strongly attracts me. I have made a fi rm decision to enter a certain occupation and have begun 54.3% 65.7% 11.4% 60.8% 77.2% 16.4% 64.0% 78.7% 14.7% planning my life around that decision. Family emotional support My parents usually understand me, respect my judgment, and treat me in 83.0% 84.3% 1.3% 81.9% 81.7% -0.2% 68.0% 75.1% 7.1% ways that help me grow. My family and I communicate very well, and we have a good understanding of 72.7% 80.4% 7.7% 72.0% 78.8% 6.8% 61.5% 73.9% 12.4% each others’ points of view. Sense of fi nancial security I have the fi nancial resources that I need 49.1% 58.0% 9.0% 50.0% 64.1% 14.1% 43.7% 62.9% 19.2% to fi nish college. I don’t have any fi nancial problems that 42.6% 50.3% 7.7% 43.3% 53.6% 10.3% 37.5% 51.1% 13.6% will interfere with my schoolwork. Sociability I greatly enjoy getting together with a 79.5% 91.6% 12.1% 81.6% 91.3% 9.7% 70.8% 86.2% 15.4% group of people and having fun. I am very adventurous and outgoing at 52.4% 67.7% 15.3% 56.5% 74.9% 18.4% 53.8% 73.9% 20.1% social gatherings. Opinion tolerance I get along well with people who 57.3% 70.9% 13.6% 59.4% 70.6% 11.2% 53.5% 66.1% 12.6% disagree with my opinion openly. I feel comfortable with those who think quite differently than I do on major social 64.4% 77.3% 12.9% 61.8% 79.5% 17.7% 53.2% 72.5% 19.3% issues. I fi nd it easy to be friends with people whose political ideas differ sharply from 56.9% 71.6% 14.7% 54.2% 71.7% 17.5% 51.2% 70.9% 19.7% my own. 6 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • Research Report: The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year Gaps in receptivity to assistance Key: Negative gap This table uses a key (see right) to identify gaps as described earlier on page 2. The gaps are between students’ receptivity to assistance at the start of the year and students’ Positive gap actual usage of services by mid-year. Also included below is students’ receptivity to (further) help at mid-year. Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year private public institutions institutions institutions (public and private) Survey items Start Middle Start Middle Start Middle of year: Received of year: of year: Received of year: of year: Received of year: Receptivity help by Receptivity Receptivity help by Receptivity Receptivity help by Receptivity to mid-year to (further) to mid-year to (further) to mid-year to (further) help help help help help help Academic needs Would like instruction in effective ways 73.8% 48.4% 33.4% 79.6% 53.3% 45.3% 78.2% 66.3% 48.9% to take college exams Would like help in improving my study 48.3% 50.3% 33.1% 63.3% 60.0% 47.8% 66.0% 71.0% 51.1% habits Would like help in improving my writing 41.9% 56.1% 37.2% 50.3% 64.3% 49.7% 55.7% 68.4% 51.0% skills Would like help in improving my math 36.5% 39.4% 30.9% 47.6% 54.9% 46.5% 57.7% 65.0% 54.9% skills Would like tutoring in one or more of my 38.8% 39.0% 32.3% 48.5% 54.1% 45.7% 45.0% 49.2% 41.7% courses Would like training to improve my 23.4% 26.6% 20.8% 33.6% 39.1% 30.6% 36.5% 53.9% 34.0% reading skills Career services needs Would like to discuss qualifi cations 61.7% 45.5% 57.6% 66.8% 53.0% 63.0% 69.5% 61.2% 56.2% needed for certain occupations Would like to receive help with an educational plan to prepare for a good 65.3% 37.9% 55.1% 70.0% 45.8% 60.9% 69.2% 61.4% 55.4% job Would like to discuss salaries and future 51.8% 28.8% 52.1% 58.9% 41.1% 61.2% 52.5% 58.8% 52.8% outlook for various occupations Would like to discuss advantages and 49.3% 29.9% 53.1% 53.4% 40.1% 61.7% 48.2% 55.7% 52.1% disadvantages of various occupations Would like to receive help selecting an occupation well suited to my interests 48.1% 34.0% 49.7% 53.9% 45.7% 56.3% 52.5% 58.6% 48.0% and abilities Personal support needs Would like to talk with a counselor about 14.0% 39.0% 12.7% 18.3% 43.5% 22.6% 23.8% 44.0% 24.3% my general attitude toward school Would like to talk about feelings of discouragement or unhappy thoughts 9.1% 26.0% 12.9% 8.9% 29.9% 18.1% 14.7% 30.6% 19.9% that keep bothering me Would like to talk with a counselor about eliminating an unwanted habit (involving 7.1% 16.6% 6.1% 9.3% 22.0% 11.0% 13.8% 21.5% 14.2% food, drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol, etc.) Would like to discuss diffi culties in my 8.9% 22.4% 10.8% 10.8% 26.5% 16.0% 17.7% 24.6% 19.9% personal relationships or social life Would like to talk with a counselor about 5.7% 17.6% 7.0% 5.8% 23.1% 13.0% 10.3% 21.3% 15.0% some family issues Would like to talk with a counselor about 9.4% 19.7% 11.4% 8.7% 24.0% 15.3% 12.2% 21.7% 19.7% emotional tensions that are bothering me © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 7 Changes in receptivity, continued... K e y : N e g a t i v e g a p Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Positive gap Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year private public institutions institutions institutions (public and private) Survey items Start Middle Start Middle Start Middle of year: Received of year: of year: Received of year: of year: Received of year: Receptivity help by Receptivity Receptivity help by Receptivity Receptivity help by Receptivity to mid-year to (further) to mid-year to (further) to mid-year to (further) help help help help help help Financial guidance Would like to talk with someone about 52.6% 34.3% 42.2% 50.8% 33.6% 49.3% 41.8% 32.7% 38.6% getting a part-time job Would like to discuss pros and cons of 17.9% 34.0% 20.2% 20.0% 37.4% 30.1% 20.8% 36.2% 30.1% getting a student loan Would like to talk with someone about how to manage my fi nances, including NA 25.1% 27.9% NA 33.2% 38.6% NA 33.4% 37.6% loans, work and credit cards Would like to get information about 54.0% 23.8% 49.7% 52.8% 29.1% 53.0% 43.2% 26.9% 42.5% opportunities for holiday or summer jobs Social activities/enrichment Would like to get information about informal gatherings to meet some new 60.8% 53.9% 29.8% 62.2% 45.5% 35.0% 47.3% 35.3% 37.0% friends Would like to fi nd out about student government and various student 51.8% 53.9% 28.7% 55.3% 49.4% 35.1% 42.7% 37.8% 35.7% activities Would like to fi nd out about clubs and 68.2% 66.9% 39.2% 71.1% 60.1% 44.9% 51.2% 47.1% 42.5% social organizations at my college Freshman satisfaction at the middle of the 2011-2012 academic year The table below shows the complete satisfaction fi ndings of this study. Mean satisfaction scores (1 = low satisfaction, 7 = high satisfaction) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year Areas of satisfaction evaluated private public institutions institutions institutions (public and private) Assistance in selecting a program of study or major 5.20 5.14 5.31 Safety and security on campus 5.48 5.26 5.99 Availability of fi nancial resources 4.90 5.06 5.53 Level of interaction with other students 5.67 5.47 5.51 Opportunities for community service and other 5.56 5.10 5.00 volunteer work Level of interaction with faculty in class 5.62 5.18 5.60 Level of interaction with faculty outside of class 4.95 4.66 4.93 Level of interaction with my advisor 5.23 5.23 5.33 Sense of belonging to this college community 5.53 5.28 5.57 8 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • Research Report: The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year Respondent demographics (2011-2012 academic year) The following demographics are for freshmen who completed surveys at the beginning and at the middle of their freshman year. Numbers and Demographic information percentages Number of respondents 4,028 Average age 19.3 Percent female 62.6% Percent male 37.4% Representation by institution type Four-year public 49.2% Four-year private 35.9% Two-year (public and private) 14.9% Racial/Ethnic origin Black/African American 18.6% American Indian or Alaskan Native 0.6% Asian or Pacifi c Islander 4.5% White/Caucasian 57.4% Hispanic or Latino 13.4% Multi-ethnic or other ethnic origin 3.6% Prefer not to respond 1.8% Highest education level of mother 8 years or less 3.9% Some high school 6.4% High school diploma 26.6% 1 to 3 years of college 24.7% Bachelor’s degree 23.0% Master’s degree 10.6% Professional degree 4.7% Highest education level of father 8 years or less 4.2% Some high school 8.9% High school diploma 30.0% 1 to 3 years of college 19.3% Bachelor’s degree 21.0% Master’s degree 9.7% Professional degree 6.8% © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 9 Percent of freshmen in agreement (2011-2012 academic year) Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 4-year Freshmen at 2-year private public institutions Additional demographic information institutions institutions (public and private) Start Middle Start Middle Start Middle of year of year of year of year of year of year Amount of time working (refers to amount of time expected to work for start of year and to actual time spent working for middle of year) 0 (I do not work) 32.1% 54.0% 38.8% 67.2% 20.0% 37.5% 1 to 10 hours per week 35.5% 25.3% 25.4% 12.5% 10.7% 9.8% 11 to 20 hours per week 25.4% 13.2% 26.4% 12.1% 24.3% 16.8% 21 to 30 hours per week 5.2% 4.8% 7.1% 5.1% 24.7% 17.4% 31 to 40 hours per week 1.3% 1.6% 1.7% 2.4% 17.0% 15.0% Over 40 hours per week 0.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.7% 3.3% 3.6% GPA (refers to high school for start of year and to fi rst term of college for middle of year) A 39.9% 24.8% 25.4% 13.3% 6.2% 12.9% Halfway between A and B 38.8% 34.0% 42.4% 28.5% 36.3% 38.4% B 12.2% 18.1% 17.6% 19.7% 15.8% 16.1% Halfway between B and C 7.7% 16.0% 12.0% 22.2% 30.2% 22.1% C 1.1% 4.8% 2.0% 8.8% 6.8% 6.4% Halfway between C and D 0.3% 1.5% 0.6% 5.2% 3.3% 2.9% D or less 0.1% 0.9% 0.1% 2.3% 1.3% 1.1% Respondents’ self-assessment of general academic knowledge (refers to high school for start of year and to middle of fi rst year of college for middle of year) Highest 20% 36.8% 28.8% 20.9% 17.2% 8.2% 14.2% Next to the highest 20% 34.2% 34.8% 37.8% 33.2% 19.3% 30.9% Middle 20% 28.2% 33.8% 39.8% 46.9% 64.3% 52.0% Next to the lowest 20% 0.6% 2.3% 1.3% 2.3% 6.8% 2.4% Lowest 20% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 1.3% 0.5% Highest degree sought None 0.0% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.5% 1-year certifi cate 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0% 1.3% 2-year certifi cate (associate) 0.3% 1.0% 0.5% 0.9% 18.3% 19.4% 4-year college degree (bachelor’s) 22.4% 26.8% 36.5% 37.7% 40.7% 40.4% Master’s degree 36.6% 38.2% 38.6% 36.3% 21.2% 21.8% Professional degree (medicine, dentistry, law, 40.6% 33.4% 24.2% 24.9% 18.7% 16.6% philosophy, or other similar degrees) 10 © 2012 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • Research Report: The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year