North Carolina State University
2008 First-Year Student Survey:
Gender and Racial/Ethnic Comparisons of
Educational Intent and Interests
This document reports gender and racial/ethnic differences in respondents' enrollment and general education plans. For information about the survey and analysis methods, see "2008 First-Year Student Survey: Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile." Exact question wording is available on the web or by clicking on the "Q" next to the table heading.
Reasons for Less Than 15 Credit Hours | Intended Highest Level of Education | Goals and Objectives at NC State | Certainty of College Major | First Semester Employment Plans | Interest in Co-Curricular Activities
Q Reported Reasons for Less than 15 Credit Hours (Among Those Taking Less Than 15 credit hours)| NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will need to work | 4.8% | 3.8% | 5.7% | 7.3% | 4.2% | 7.5% |
| Courses unavailable | 4.0% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 2.0% | 3.8% | 6.5% |
| Want better grades | 9.3% | 7.5% | 10.7% | 6.6% | 9.6% | 9.0% |
| Advice of advisor | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 4.6% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Did not need more courses | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| Combination of courses | 4.3% | 4.0% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 3.5% |
| Family responsibilities | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 1.5% |
| Other | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Total (N) | 1,716 | 770 | 946 | 151 | 1,365 | 200 |
| Highest level of education planned | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 25.7% | 22.2% | 28.8% | 12.4% | 28.5% | 16.2% |
| Master's degree | 42.2% | 40.4% | 43.7% | 39.5% | 42.5% | 42.0% |
| Doctoral degree | 14.2% | 11.6% | 16.4% | 20.9% | 12.6% | 20.0% |
| Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | 5.7% | 10.3% | 1.7% | 4.7% | 6.0% | 4.4% |
| Medical degree | 8.4% | 11.6% | 5.7% | 15.9% | 7.1% | 12.4% |
| Law degree | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 6.5% | 3.2% | 4.6% |
| Divinity degree | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Do not intend to complete a degree | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Total (N) | 4,083 | 1,885 | 2,198 | 339 | 3,270 | 474 |
| Goal/objective for attending NC State | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA/certificate only | 8.5% | 7.6% | 9.4% | 5.3% | 9.3% | 5.3% |
| BA for school preparation | 57.5% | 63.4% | 52.4% | 63.6% | 55.6% | 66.2% |
| BA for career preparation | 30.9% | 26.7% | 34.5% | 26.6% | 32.6% | 22.2% |
| Improve for current profession | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 3.3% | 0.9% | 2.9% |
| Courses for personal interest | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| Other | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 2.2% |
| Total (N) | 3,930 | 1,826 | 2,104 | 338 | 3,137 | 455 |
| Certainty of college major | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very certain | 29.3% | 31.1% | 27.8% | 30.5% | 29.3% | 28.7% |
| Certain | 43.4% | 40.1% | 46.3% | 42.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% |
| Uncertain | 22.5% | 22.6% | 22.5% | 23.6% | 22.2% | 23.9% |
| Very uncertain | 4.7% | 6.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 4.0% |
| Total (N) | 4,142 | 1,911 | 2,231 | 351 | 3,310 | 481 |
| Semester employment | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do not plan to work | 63.9% | 64.2% | 63.6% | 59.3% | 65.9% | 53.4% |
| Less than 20 hrs./wk. | 30.3% | 31.0% | 29.6% | 32.5% | 28.9% | 38.1% |
| 20 or more hrs./wk. | 5.9% | 4.8% | 6.8% | 8.2% | 5.3% | 8.5% |
| Total (N) | 3,960 | 1,839 | 2,121 | 329 | 3,172 | 459 |
| Yes, interested in: | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Government | 16.4% | 20.1% | 13.3% | 30.7% | 14.6% | 18.3% |
| Student Judicial Board | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 9.4% | 2.8% | 4.1% |
| Residence Hall Councils | 8.4% | 11.1% | 6.0% | 19.0% | 7.1% | 9.3% |
| Student Leadership Development (workshops, conferences, etc.) | 12.5% | 15.3% | 10.1% | 23.6% | 10.9% | 15.4% |
| Co-op program | 21.5% | 13.8% | 28.0% | 15.6% | 21.7% | 23.9% |
| Study Abroad/Student Exchange | 45.1% | 56.4% | 35.4% | 39.8% | 45.1% | 48.6% |
| Volunteer Services | 26.6% | 40.0% | 15.1% | 40.6% | 23.9% | 35.0% |
| ROTC | 3.0% | 1.5% | 4.2% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 1.9% |
| Club Sports (cycling, baseball, martial arts, ultimate, etc.) | 41.2% | 33.1% | 48.2% | 35.2% | 42.1% | 39.7% |
| Fitness/Wellness (group fitness classes, yoga, pilates, etc.) | 34.7% | 52.1% | 19.8% | 39.8% | 34.3% | 33.5% |
| Indoor recreation (cardio room, weights, basketball, etc.) | 34.2% | 26.7% | 40.6% | 28.7% | 35.1% | 31.5% |
| Intramurals (basketball, flag football, golf, etc.) | 40.3% | 30.0% | 49.1% | 28.1% | 42.5% | 34.2% |
| Outdoor adventures (trips, equipment checkout, rock climbing workshops, etc.) | 31.4% | 29.8% | 32.7% | 16.5% | 33.4% | 28.6% |
| Social Fraternity/Sorority | 29.9% | 36.2% | 24.6% | 51.4% | 28.6% | 23.3% |
| Student Media/Publications | 9.8% | 11.8% | 8.2% | 14.5% | 8.8% | 13.4% |
| UAB programs/activities (cultural programs, concerts, etc.) | 7.7% | 11.3% | 4.6% | 15.9% | 6.3% | 11.7% |
| Multicultural/diversity programs/activities | 12.0% | 17.5% | 7.3% | 49.1% | 5.4% | 30.2% |
| Gender issues (gender communication, sexual assault, domestic violence, etc.) | 4.9% | 8.7% | 1.6% | 13.1% | 3.9% | 5.3% |
| Healthy lifestyles issues (stress management, sexuality, substance abuse, etc.) | 9.2% | 13.7% | 5.4% | 17.9% | 8.0% | 11.7% |
| Planning programs/services for children and families | 5.0% | 8.8% | 1.7% | 13.1% | 4.1% | 5.6% |
| Crafts center programs/activities | 10.8% | 17.5% | 5.1% | 11.6% | 10.5% | 12.6% |
| Music minor, bands, choirs, orchestras, chamber music, bagpipes, drums | 15.5% | 14.7% | 16.2% | 19.9% | 15.1% | 15.6% |
| Attending art exhibitions, meeting artists, museum internships | 11.8% | 17.1% | 7.3% | 11.1% | 11.4% | 15.2% |
| Theater participation as artist | 7.9% | 11.0% | 5.3% | 9.7% | 7.7% | 8.0% |
| Theater participation as audience | 17.6% | 23.3% | 12.7% | 15.1% | 17.8% | 17.9% |
| Student Dance Companies | 7.4% | 13.8% | 1.9% | 14.8% | 6.4% | 9.1% |
| Pre-Law services/planning | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 9.1% | 4.8% | 7.4% |
| Total (N) | 4,169 | 1,921 | 2,248 | 352 | 3,331 | 486 |
Back to Top NC State Co-Curricular Programs/Activities (Rank Order of Interest)
| Program/Activity | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Abroad/Student Exchange | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Club Sports (cycling, baseball, martial arts, ultimate, etc.) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Intramurals (basketball, flag football, golf, etc.) | 3 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness/Wellness (group fitness classes, yoga, pilates, etc.) | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Indoor recreation (cardio room, weights, basketball, etc.) | 5 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| Outdoor adventures (trips, equipment checkout, rock climbing workshops, etc.) | 6 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| Social Fraternity/Sorority | 7 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 10 |
| Volunteer Services | 8 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
| Co-op program | 9 | 17 | 6 | 16 | 9 | 9 |
| Theater participation as audience | 10 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 12 |
| Student Government | 11 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 11 |
| Music minor, bands, choirs, orchestras, chamber music, bagpipes, drums | 12 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| Student Leadership Development (workshops, conferences, etc.) | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 14 |
| Multicultural/diversity programs/activities | 14 | 11 | 16 | 2 | 22 | 7 |
| Attending art exhibitions, meeting artists, museum internships | 15 | 13 | 15 | 23 | 13 | 15 |
| Crafts center programs/activities | 16 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 17 |
| Student Media/Publications | 17 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 16 |
| Healthy lifestyles issues (stress management, sexuality, substance abuse, etc.) | 18 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 18 |
| Residence Hall Councils | 19 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 19 | 20 |
| Theater participation as artist | 20 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 22 |
| UAB programs/activities (cultural programs, concerts, etc.) | 21 | 20 | 22 | 15 | 21 | 18 |
| Student Dance Companies | 22 | 16 | 25 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Pre-Law services/planning | 23 | 25 | 18 | 26 | 23 | 23 |
| Planning programs/services for children and families | 24 | 23 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 24 |
| Gender issues (gender communication, sexual assault, domestic violence, etc.) | 25 | 24 | 27 | 20 | 25 | 25 |
| Student Judicial Board | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 |
| ROTC | 27 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 27 |
| Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of Survey Respondents | 45.6% | 54.4% | 8.3% | 80.2% | 11.5% |
| Student government (N=684) | 56.4% | 43.6% | 15.8% | 71.2% | 13.0% |
| Student judicial board (N=145) | 41.4% | 58.6% | 22.8% | 63.4% | 13.8% |
| Residence hall council (N=350) | 61.1% | 38.9% | 19.1% | 68.0% | 12.9% |
| Student leadership program (N=520) | 56.3% | 43.7% | 16.0% | 69.6% | 14.4% |
| Co-op program (N=895) | 29.6% | 70.4% | 6.1% | 80.9% | 13.0% |
| Study abroad/student exchange (N=1,879) | 57.7% | 42.3% | 7.5% | 80.0% | 12.6% |
| Volunteer services (N=1,109) | 69.3% | 30.7% | 12.9% | 71.8% | 15.3% |
| ROTC (N=124) | 23.4% | 76.6% | 4.0% | 88.7% | 7.3% |
| Club sports (N=1,719) | 36.9% | 63.1% | 7.2% | 81.6% | 11.2% |
| Fitness (N=1,447) | 69.2% | 30.8% | 9.7% | 79.1% | 11.3% |
| Indoor recreation (N=1,424) | 36.0% | 64.0% | 7.1% | 82.2% | 10.7% |
| Intramurals (N=1,680) | 34.3% | 65.7% | 5.9% | 84.2% | 9.9% |
| Outdoor adventures (N=1,308) | 43.7% | 56.3% | 4.4% | 84.9% | 10.6% |
| Social fraternity/sorority (N=1,248) | 55.7% | 44.3% | 14.5% | 76.4% | 9.1% |
| Student Publications/Media (N=410) | 55.1% | 44.9% | 12.4% | 71.7% | 15.9% |
| UAB programs/activities (N=322) | 67.7% | 32.3% | 17.4% | 64.9% | 17.7% |
| Multicultural/diversity progs (N=501) | 67.3% | 32.7% | 34.5% | 36.1% | 29.3% |
| Gender issues (N=203) | 82.3% | 17.7% | 22.7% | 64.5% | 12.8% |
| Healthy-life issues (N=385) | 68.3% | 31.7% | 16.4% | 68.8% | 14.8% |
| Planning programs/services (N=208) | 81.3% | 18.8% | 22.1% | 64.9% | 13.0% |
| Crafts center programs/classes (N=451) | 74.7% | 25.3% | 9.1% | 77.4% | 13.5% |
| Musical interests (N=648) | 43.7% | 56.3% | 10.8% | 77.5% | 11.7% |
| Art exhibitions (N=493) | 66.5% | 33.5% | 7.9% | 77.1% | 15.0% |
| Theater as artist (N=331) | 63.7% | 36.3% | 10.3% | 77.9% | 11.8% |
| Theater as audience (N=734) | 61.0% | 39.0% | 7.2% | 80.9% | 11.9% |
| Student dance company (N=308) | 86.4% | 13.6% | 16.9% | 68.8% | 14.3% |
| Pre-Law services/planning (N=229) | 45.4% | 54.6% | 14.0% | 70.3% | 15.7% |
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: March, 2008
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