North Carolina State University
2006 First-Year Student Survey:
Highlights
- NC State conducted its annual survey of entering first-year students during New Student Orientation sessions held in July and early August 2006. The survey response rate was 85.6 percent (N=4,015 of 4,693). There were no significant gender or racial/ethnic differences between the first-year students actually enrolled at NC State and those responding to the survey.
- A majority of respondents applied to "three or more colleges" including NC State (58.4%). Less than one-fifth reported having applied "only to NC State" (17.7%). Two-thirds or more respondents in the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (71.6%), Design (69.2%), Education (67.3%), and Management (65.9%) applied to "three or more colleges" including NC State. College of Engineering respondents (27.5%) were most likely and Humanities and Social Sciences respondents (6.6%) were least likely to report having applied "only to NC State."
- More than forty percent of respondents reported being "well prepared" for college by their high school (42.3%). Slightly fewer respondents reported being "well prepared" for college by their own efforts (38.7%). Respondents were almost twice as likely to report being "poorly prepared" by their high school (9.5%) as they were to report being "poorly prepared" by their own efforts (5.0%).
- The vast majority of respondents intend to enroll for 15 credit hours or more during their first semester (88.1%) and nearly two-thirds do not intend to work during their first semester at NC State (65.3%). Eighty percent of respondents indicated that they intend to complete a degree at NC State in 4 years (76.4%) or less (4.5%).
- The vast majority of respondents reported that their highest intended level of education was a Master's degree or higher (72.4%). Consistent with this finding, the majority of respondents reported that their primary goal or objective for attending NC State is to "obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for graduate or professional school" (54.3%). Those in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Physical and Mathematical Sciences were more likely to be pursuing a bachelor's degree as preparation for graduate/professional school, while those in the Colleges of Education, Natural Resources, and Textiles were more likely to be pursuing a bachelor's degree for career preparation.
- Slightly more than one-fifth of respondents (23.1%) said they would not be seeking employment after graduation, most likely indicating their intention to attend graduate or professional school. Among those who will be seeking employment after graduation, respondents were twice as likely to report that they will seek employment "anywhere" than to report that they will seek work "in North Carolina only" (43.0% vs. 21.3%). One-third or more respondents in the Colleges of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (43.2%), Humanities and Social Sciences (39.6%), and Design (32.9%) reported that they will not seek employment after graduation. This figure is a low of 2 percent among respondents in the College of Natural Resources. Of respondents who will be seeking employment after graduation, those in the Colleges of Design (58.5%), Humanities and Social Sciences (49.8%), and Textiles (49.5%) were most likely to report that after graduation they will seek employment "anywhere." Respondents in the College of Education (57.0%) were most likely and those in the College of Design (13.2%) were least likely to report that they will seek employment "in North Carolina only."
- Respondents consistently gave higher ratings to the importance of each of 35 different knowledge, skills, and personal development goals than to their current development of the goal. However, in general, goals that received high importance ratings tended to receive high development ratings. Taking responsibility for my own behavior, valuing racial equity, and valuing gender equity were among the highest rated goals in terms of both development and importance. Handling stress and time management ranked high in importance, but low in development. Several goals central to the University's core general education curriculum received low importance and development ratings, including developing the ability to communicate in writing, developing the ability to apply scientific principles, and understanding the present as it relates to history.
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: February, 2007
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