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University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
A PROFILE OF INCOMING
FRESHMEN STUDENTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND,
COLLEGE PARK, 1998-1999
V. Suthakaran & William
E. Sedlacek
Research Report # 2-99
Computer time for this
project was provided by Academic Information
Technology Services at the
University of Maryland, College Park
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UNSC 98-99
A PROFILE OF INCOMING
FRESHMAN STUDENTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
AT COLLEGE PARK, 1998-99
V. Suthakaran and William E.
Sedlacek
Research Report 2-99
Summary
The following profile was compiled from the
responses of 2515 incoming freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park
during the 1998 summer orientation. Fifty percent of the sample was male and
50% was female. Sixty-seven percent of these students identified as
(nonHispanic) Caucasian and 33% represented ethnic/racial minority groups, with
Asian/AsianAmerican/Pacific Islander and African American comprising the larger
minority groups (14% and 10%, respectively). Most of the students lived in
residence halls and a smaller percentage lived with their parents. Twenty eight
percent were Catholics, 16% were Jews, 11 % were Protestants, 16% reported
"other," and 14% said they did not have a preference.
Over half of the sample felt that their high school
prepared them well for college. The main reasons they had for going to college
were to get a better job and to learn critical thinking skills. Some of the
more popular reasons for attending UMCP included the kind of academic program they
sought was being offered and because of the reputation of a specific program or
school. More than a third of the freshmen had a major in mind and another third
were sure they would not change their major. More than half of the incoming
students said that they intended to pursue a graduate degree. Almost one
quarter of the students reported that they would remain at the university until
completion of their degree to get a better job or earn more money.
Incoming students' perceived barriers to involvement in campus life included having no time and not being sure how to get involved. Almost half of the students indicated that they do not have any plans to work during their first year at the university. Almost a third of the students indicated that they expect to have a hard time adjusting to academic work. Most of the incoming freshmen expected to graduate in 4 years. Eighty-four percent of the students indicated that they would be using their own computer and almost half used the computer between 2-6 hours a week.
Receiving counseling regarding educational and
career/vocational plans was a popular response among the incoming students.
More than half of the students reported that they would be interested in
improving their study skills. Almost of the students reported that religion was
important in their lives. Almost half of the students reported that they were
unsure if they would be comfortable being part of a small non-traditional
religious group. More than a third of the students said that they were not sure
about what they believe and don't believe about religion.
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The University New Student
Census was administered to 2515 incoming freshmen during their summer
orientation to the university. Fifty percent of the sample was male and 50% was
female. Most of these students were 17 (36%) or 18 (61%) years of age at the
time they completed the survey. Their racial/ethnic composition was mainly
Caucasian (67%). The largest racial/ethnic minority groups represented by this
incoming class were Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander (14%), and African
American (10%). This was followed by Hispanic/Latin (4%) and Native
American/American Indian/Alaskan Native (< 1 %). Two percent of the students
reported being biracial or multiracial and another 3% reported "other."
In terms of disabilities, 90% of the students reported none and 4% reported "other." Students who were hard of hearing and with Attention Deficit Disorder were 3% each. The rest of the categories were all below 1 %.
Asked about their religious
preference, 28% of the students reported that they were Catholics, 16% were
Jews, 11 % were Protestants, 16% reported "other," 14% said they did
not have a preference, and 6% preferred not to answer the question. The other
preferences were: atheist (4%), Hindu (2%), Muslim (2%), and Buddhist (1%).
The majority of incoming
freshmen (85%) lived in residence halls or with their parents (12%). Seventeen
percent of the responding students reported ranking in the top fifth of their
class in high school; 24% in the top tenth; 36% in the top quarter; and 22% in
the upper half of their graduating class. One percent ranked in the lower half
and less than 1 % in the bottom quarter of their graduating class in high
school. Most had their health insurance covered by their parents (75%) and some
(10%) had their insurance covered through an HMO/PPO. Three percent had no
health insurance coverage and 9% did not know their health insurance status.
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The principal reasons
incoming freshmen had for going to college were to get a better job
(54%) and to learn critical thinking skills (23%).
Another popular response was to gain an
education (17%). In terms of the highest degree they
intended to obtain, most of the students
reported that they would like to obtain a masters
degree (40%). Twenty eight percent reported
the intention to obtain a doctorate and 10 % a
bachelors as their highest academic degree.
Over half of the sample (57%) felt that their high
school prepared them well for college. Ten percent felt high school did not
prepare them well for college and 26% were neutral.
Almost a third of the incoming freshmen (28%)
perceived having no barriers to getting involved in campus activities. Other
perceived barriers to involvement in campus life included having no time (25%),
not being sure how to get involved (11 %), conflict with work schedule (7%),
and friends living off-campus (4%).
More than one third of the incoming freshmen (34%)
felt the most likely reason why they would remain at the university until
completion of their degree would be to get a better job and earn more money.
Another 18% believed that a college degree is the only way to enter their
chosen profession. Twenty-one percent saw obtaining a degree as a
necessary step to graduate or professional school. Thirteen percent responded
that their motivation stemmed from enjoying academics.
When asked what would be the most likely reason they
would leave the university' before receiving a degree, over a third of the students
(37%) responded that they were certain they
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would receive the degree. Eighteen percent mentioned
cost as the most likely reason they would leave prior to graduation. Twenty-five
percent said they would leave due to disinterest in their field of study. Six
percent said that they would leave if they perceived a lack of academic
ability. Most of the students (92°/0) did not think that they would temporarily
drop out of school before earning their bachelors degree.
More than a third (36%)
reported that they had a major in mind, but were considering several other
possibilities. Another third of the students (33%) reported that they were sure
they would not change their major. Fifteen
percent said that they have a general idea of what they wanted to study. Twelve
percent of the students said that they have a couple of general areas of
interest, but are not sure of what they would like to study. Asked if they
might end up majoring in a different academic field from the one that now seems
appropriate for them, 44% reported that they would not and 17% reported that
they would. Thirty-eight percent of the students reported neutral to the
item.
When asked about employment plans during their first year at the university, 44% indicated that they did not intend to work. Twenty-one percent indicated that they would work off-campus. Nine percent planned on working in a federally-funded work/study program and 15% expected to be employed in other on-campus work. Ten percent of the respondents indicated that their work status during their freshman year would involve more than one of the given options.
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More than a third of the
students (37%) said that they worked to earn extra spending money. Twenty-six
percent said that they worked to help pay for their education. Some of the
students (12%) worked to gain job experience related to anticipated major.
Over a quarter of the
students (26%) indicated that intrinsic interest in the field was important in
terms of their long-term career choice, whereas, 19% said that it was
high anticipated earnings. Fifteen percent said that making an important
contribution to society was important in their long-term career choice.
Ten percent said that a well respected or prestigious occupation would be
important. Nine percent said that it would be important for them to work with
people. A few of the students reported that careers with rapid advancement (6%)
and with job openings usually available as being important . In terms of a
major perceived barrier to meeting their career goals, more than a third of the
students (36%) chose managing time. Twenty-four percent said personal
finances and another 20% reported a lack of direction as perceived barriers.
Limited job availability (10%) and lack of motivation (19%) were also reported
as perceived barriers.
The reasons behind why most of these students decided to attend UMCP were because it offered the kind of academic program they sought (23%) and the reputation of a specific program or school (20%). Geographical location (17%) and relatively inexpensive cost (13%) were also cited as reasons for attending UMCP. A few of the students (11 %) said that they decided to attend UMCP because they were admitted to a special program (e.g., Honors, CPS, etc.).
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Academic Issues
Ninety-eight percent
of freshmen felt their family had always wanted them to go to college. Less
than 1% reported that their relatives did not expect them to go to college.
Most of the students (91%) felt confident that they had some someone to listen
to them and help them should they encounter problems related to school. Eight
percent were neutral and 2% did not feel confident that they had such
resources.
Twenty-eight percent
strongly agreed (3%) or agreed (25%) with the statement, "I expect to have
a hard time adjusting to the academic work of college." Another 38%
neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. The remaining 33% disagreed
(29%) or strongly disagreed (4%) with it.
Approximately one third of incoming freshmen agreed
(30%) and another 11 % strongly agreed with the statement that they did not
expect difficulty with math courses, whereas almost one in four felt neutral
(23%). Twenty-six percent did not feel very confident in their ability to
perform in math courses and 10% did not feel confident at all.
Most of the incoming
freshmen (83%) expected to graduate in 4 years. Ten percent expected to
graduate in 5 years, and 6% in less than 4 years. Less than 10% said they
expected to graduate in more than 5 years or not to graduate at all.
When asked about the characteristics they liked most in a teacher, 51% of them said they liked someone with a good style of delivery of material. Seventeen percent liked someone with a good sense of humor and 8% preferred someone who knows the material. Other characteristics were: clear expectations (8%), well organized classes (8%), and availability after class (6%).
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In terms of different programs they were involved in, 51 % said that they did not belong to any of the programs listed. Twenty-one percent were involved in the College Park Scholars Program. Twelve percent said that they were involved in "other" programs.
Eighty-four percent of
the incoming students indicated that they would be using their own computer.
When questioned about which type of computer they were most comfortable with,
most indicated IBM or IBM compatible PC (81 %). Eleven percent felt most
comfortable with Apple/MacIntosh and 4% reported "other." Four
percent maintained they did not feel comfortable with computers.
More than half of the
students (52%) reported that their activity on the computer is mostly related
to school-work. Twenty percent used it mostly for e-mail and
another 12% to surf the Web. Nine percent said that the activity they engaged
in most on the computer was playing games.
Almost half of the students
(47%) used the computer between 2-6 hours a week. Twenty percent used it
for less than an hour and 17% used it between 6-10 hours a week. Eight
percent reported to using the computer between 11 and 20 hours, and another 8%
reported using the computer for more than 20 hours. In terms of time spent on
the Internet, almost half (44°/0) reported less than an hour a week. Thirty-nine
percent said they spent between 2-6 hours on the Internet and 10% between
6-10 hours weekly. Only 4 % spent between 11-20 hours and 3 more
than 20 hours a week on the Internet.
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Given some free time, more than 51% of the incoming freshmen indicated they would most likely spend it socializing with friends. Others responded they would most likely participate in sports/exercise (16%) or team sport/athletics (13%). Four percent indicated they would read a book, while others preferred watching television (3%) or seeing a movie (1%). Three percent of the respondents reported they would get a job, and another 3% responded that they would most-likely do volunteer work. When asked which extracurricular activity is of the most interest to them, the most popular responses were intramural sports or activities (32%), followed by participating in musical or dramatic organization (13%), student publications/communications (8%) and special interest groups other than sports, games, hobbies, etc, (8%). Other responses included volunteer services (6%), political or social action groups (6%), and religious groups (3%), and departmental subject matter groups (3%), and "other" (8%).
Ten percent of incoming
students indicated that they expect to be lonely during their freshman year.
Eighteen percent did not agree or disagree with the expectation. The majority
(72%) did not expect to be lonely during their freshman year.
When asked which area would
they most likely be interested in seeking counseling or educational skills
services while at UMCP, the more popular responses were counseling regarding
educational and career/vocational plans (40%), learning to study more
efficiently (15%), improving writing skills (13%), and developing a larger
vocabulary (6%). Fifteen percent of the students indicated they were not
interested in seeking any counseling or educational skills at the time.
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Eighty-five percent of
incoming freshmen reported an interest in seeking counseling regarding career
plans and only 4% of them denied any interest in vocational/Career counseling.
Eleven percent responded neutral to the item. In contrast, most students (76%)
denied any interest in seeking counseling for problems with drugs or alcohol.
Twenty-seven percent of the students responded neutral. However, 20% of
the respondents expressed an interest in counseling regarding social or
emotional concerns, and (39%) denied an interest in such services. Thirty-five
percent responded neutral to the item. More than half of the incoming freshmen
(54%) expressed interest in improving their study skills and only some (21%)
did not profess any interest. Thirty-four percent responded neutral.
Twenty-seven percent
of the students said that they would consider seeking stress management
training while at Maryland. However, 32% did not show any interest in the
training. Forty-one percent remained neutral.
Forty-six percent of
the incoming freshmen agreed that most of their friends were of their own race,
with another 13% agreeing strongly with this statement. Seventeen percent were
neutral. Another 17% disagreed and 7% strongly disagreed, suggesting that most
of their friends were of a different racial/ethnic background than their own.
Sixty-five percent of the students reported having a close friend of a
different race. A large number, however, disagreed (17%) or strongly disagreed
(4%) with the statement that they had a close friend of a different race.
Fourteen percent responded neutral. Most students (92%) expressed that they
looked forward to meeting people different from themselves at UMCP and only 10%
denied any interest in meeting people of diverse backgrounds.
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More than half of these
students reported agreeing (47%) or strongly agreeing (14%) that they discuss
topics related to cultural awareness with their friends. However, 12° ) of the
incoming students reportedly do not address such subjects with their friends.
Twenty-six percent responded neutral.
In order to explore students' attitudes about their own purposes and goals while at college, students were presented with four statements which gauged their philosophy of education. One-third of the students (34%) viewed college as primarily to prepare students for a career. Another third (33%) viewed college as a place to be highly involved in social and other extracurricular activities. Almost another third (27%) viewed college as a place for the cultivation of the intellect, and pursuit of knowledge and ideas.
Religious Values
Forty-two percent of the incoming freshmen said that they would be uncomfortable being part of a small non-traditional religious group. Only 17% of the students said that they would be comfortable being part of the group. However, 41 % of the students did not say they would be comfortable or uncomfortable being part of a small non-traditional religious group. Most of the students (89%) said that they were tolerant of other religions. Nine percent responded neutral. Almost half of the incoming students (47%) reported that religion was important in their lives. Twenty-five percent said religion was not important in their lives and 28% responded neutral to the item. Most of the students (85%) said that they were aware of the beliefs of religions other than their own. Twelve percent responded neutral. Most of the students said that religious cults were bad for all students. However, almost a third (32%) of the students responded neutral.
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Almost a third (31 %) of the
students said that they consider themselves to be spiritual but not religious.
More than a third did agree that they were (36%) spiritual but not religious.
Almost another third (31 %) responded neutral to the item. Only 20% of the
freshmen said that they believed their religion was the one true religion. More
than half (52%) did not think that their religion was the one true religion.
However, 28% of the freshmen responded neutral to the item. Most of the
students (70%) said that they know basically what they believe and don't
believe regarding religious beliefs.
Twenty-one percent of
the students reported neutral to the item. More than a third of the freshmen
(37%) said that they have spent a good deal of time reading and talking to
others about religious ideas. However, almost an equal number (38%) said that
they have not spent much time on religion. Twenty-five percent of the
incoming freshmen responded neutral to the item.
Twenty percent of the students said that they were
not really sure what they believed about religion. However, most of the
students (58%) were sure what they believed about religion. Twenty-one
percent responded neutral to the item. Furthermore, 38% of the students stated
that they have not really had any serious doubts about what they believe and
don't believe about religion. However, more than a third (37%) said that they
have had serious doubts about what they believe and don't believe about
religion.