COUNSELING CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND
A PROFILE OF INCOMING
FRESHMEN AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE PARK, 1988-1989
Susan J. Schwalb and William
E. Sedlacek
Research Report # 14--88
The
computer time for this project has been supported in full through the
facilities of the Computer Science Center of the University of Maryland,
College Park.
COUNSELING CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
A PROFILE OF INCOMING
FRESHMEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND,
COLLEGE PARK, 1988-1989
Research Report #14-88
Summary
The University-New Student
Census (UNSC) for 1988 was completed by 546 freshman entering the University of
Maryland, College Park.
55% of the students sampled were
male and 45% female. The majority of students polled were White (76%), 12% were
Black, 10% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian/Native Alaskan, and 0.6%
other
Student attitudes and expectations
were explored for both academic and extracurricular interests. 34% of the
incoming class chose Maryland for its academic programs and 50% said it was
their first choice school. Students felt their greatest adjustment to college
would be learning to budget time wisely and studying efficiently. Students felt
that they would utilize opportunities for counseling and educational skills
services with the greatest interest shown in educational and vocational
planning, and in learning to study more efficiently.
1988 entering freshmen may be
slightly different from those of past years. The mean SAT scores for the 1988
incoming freshman class were 564 Quantitative and 493 Verbal which is an
increase from the 1987 scores of 548 Quantitative and 484 Verbal.
Information on a variety of other
topics was presented and discussed.
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A PROFILE OF INCOMING
FRESHEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
546
students completed the 1988 surrey. Of this group, 55% were male and 45%
female. The majority of students (76%) were white, 12% were Black, 10% Asian,
2% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian/Native Alaskan , and 0.6% other. The greatest
differences in number of each gender within groups were Black males 8%, Black
females 16%, and Asian males 12%, Asian females 7% .
General.
trends will be reported from student responses as well as extreme variations in
responses and differences for male and female. Some comparisons will be made to
the 1987 freshman class.
Impressions of the University:
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34% of the freshmen chose the UMCP for its
academic programs, a slight increase from 1987, and only 6% chose Maryland
because they were not accepted at their preferred school. Other reasons for
choosing Maryland were; 15% relatively inexpensive, 23% geographic location, 4%
friend or relation currently attends, 2% friend or relation formerly attended,
2% high school teacher/counselor suggested it and 13% other. A greater
percentage of males (40%) than females (29%) chose Maryland because it offered
the academic program they wanted.
Most
of the students surveyed received most of their information about Maryland from
other University students (27%) , and University publications (27% ) . Other
places that students went for information were high school sources (13%),
parents (8%) , university alumni (8 %) , college guides (5%) , university
faculty/staff (3%), and other (9%) .
50 %
of all freshmen applied to Maryland as their first choice school and another 29%
chose it as their second choice of the schools that they applied to. Only 4% of
the students said that Maryland was the it 1ast choice.
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Academic Strengths:
Students
were largely in agreement as to the hardest adjustments that they would have to
make to college life. Budgeting time wisely 24%, and studying efficiently, 24%,
were the greatest concerns. When asked about their academic weaknesses, 37%
felt that study habits was their greatest weakness, as opposed to content
areas. The greatest weaknesses in content areas were math (18%) and writing
(17%). Large differences were found between males and females. Math was a
weaker area for females (23%) than for males (14%). Study habits, while weakest
for both sexes, was reported weaker for males (43%) than for females (30%).
Students
were confident about their academic futures with 40% reporting that they were
absolutely certain that they would stay at Maryland through the completion of
their degree. This answer represents an increase from 36% in 1987. A majority
of students said that they would not drop out, even temporarily, while at the
UMCP.
In
terms of using letter grades to rate their academic success, 54% of the
students said that a "C" would be only a
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"fair" grade for them. Another 33% of the students felt that a "C" would be poor work for them. Male and female reports were virtually identical in this area. In looking toward their coursework at Maryland, most students were in agreement with the statement, "I expect that for the most part, my courses will be stimulating and exciting."
Career Orientation:
Responses to many survey items reflected the strong career orientation among the incoming freshman class. Many answers reflected an attitude that college education was merely a means to a job, rather than a worthwhile academic pursuit in and of itself. 44% of the students felt their most important current educational objective was to learn skills directly applicable to their career goals, with the second most common response (18%) being the need to decide upon a career goal. All other response choices had to do with general educational goals not specifically tied to career issues. However, females (38%) were less likely than males (50%) to answer that their main goal was to obtain career skills.
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Clark and Trow (1966) developed the concept of examining student types to gain a better understanding of students. Students ranked four descriptive paragraphs, choosing the one that most reflected their own educational philosophy. The paragraphs were based on the Clark-Trow model which identifies four student types: vocational, academic, collegiate and nonconforming. Table 2 shows the four philosophies as written in the UNSC. The philosophies that the students chose as most applicable to them were: vocational (38%), collegiate (34%), academic (20%), and non-conforming (6%).
39%
of the students felt that their highest academic degree would be at the master's
level while another 31% feel that it would be a BA/BS. 27% of students felt
that they would obtain a Ph.D., medical or law degree. These figures represent
a change from 1987 where 35% expected a bachelor's degree and 44% expected a
master's degree. In 1987 only 20% expected a Ph.D., medical or law degree.
When
students were asked why they would most likely stay and complete degree
requirements, the most popular response (28%) was because a college degree is
the only way to enter their chosen
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profession. Another 21% said that they needed the degree to enter graduate or professional school.
A
final piece of career information is that most students agreed with the
statement, "I would like the opportunity to gain work experience in my
major before I graduate.
Extracurricular Activities:
42%
of the incoming freshman expected to be identified most with their residence
hall group. 14% of students expected to identify with a fraternity or sorority,
and 11% with a campus academic group. Other less popular responses were; off
campus organization (6%) and political groups (2%). 17% of the students chose
"other".
When
freshmen were asked what factor had contributed most to their own development
during the past year, 33% said it was their social life and 27% responded that
"friendships made" was the most significant contributor. Other
possible choices were related jobs, social and political groups, school work,
research, and contact with teachers/counselors.
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When
asked about intended involvement in intramural athletics, more males than
females responded positively.
Interest in Counseling:
Most
students responded that they would be interested in some form of counseling,
even though "not interested" was one of the choices. The most
positive responses reaffirmed the career orientation of this group. 39% said
the counseling that they would be most interested in receiving would be in
educational and vocational planning. Another 31% of students indicated a
preference to learn to study more efficiently. only 1% said that they would be
interested in discussing emotional or social concerns. The majority of students
agreed with the statement, "I know what kind of life I want for
myself."
References:
Clark,
B. R., & Trow, M. (1966). Determinants of college student subcultures. In
T. M. Newcomb, & E. K. Wilson (Eds.), The study of college peer groups.
Chicago, Aldine.
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Table 1
Clark-Trow Student
Types
Philosophy A (Vocational): In college primarily to prepare for a career; view practical work experience as more important than intellectual dicussions or extracurricular activities.
Philosophy B (Academic):
Attaches greatest importance to interest in ideas, pursuit of knowledge, and
cultivation of the intellect. Often spends leisure time in reading books not required
for course work and in intellectual discussions.
Philosophy C (Collegiate):
Highly involved in social and other extracurricular activities. Considers
learning from social relationships as an important part of the college
experience.
Philosophy D (Non-conforming):
Emphasizes individual interests and styles, concern for personal identity, and
is generally critical of and detached from the college, faculty and
administration.
see
Clark and Trow (1966)
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