North Carolina State University
2010 First-Year Student Survey:
Open-End Comments
Frequency Distributions by Topical Category
Students were asked to report in their own words what they are most excited about and most concerned about in coming to NC State. The tables included in this report contain the frequencies at which various topics were referenced in their responses to these questions.
Exact wording of questions:
Briefly describe what it is you are most excited about in coming to NC State (view frequency distribution)
Briefly describe what, if anything, you are most concerned or nervous about in starting your first semester of college at NC State (view frequency distribution)
What Most Excited About (Table 1)A total of 2,306 respondents provided a response to the question asking about what they are most excited about in coming to NC State. First-year students most commonly reported being excited about their social life (34.3%), personal/career development (22.5%), and independence (20.4%). Only about 1 percent of respondents reported being excited about college living (e.g., living with a roommate).
The following are several students' responses that relate to social life, personal/career development, and independence:
"Meeting people, learning to live independently, learning about things that interest me, and expanding my knowledge."
"I'm most excited about learning and growing as a student and as a person. I'm also excited for the freedom, the chance to truly become an adult, and the chance to meet tons of new people from different backgrounds."
| Topic | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Social Life | 792 | 34.3% |
| Personal/Career Development | 520 | 22.5% |
| Independence | 470 | 20.4% |
| Campus Life/Involvement | 420 | 18.2% |
| Transition to College | 307 | 13.3% |
| Community/Campus Environment | 136 | 5.9% |
| Performance/Workload | 74 | 3.2% |
| Diversity | 71 | 3.1% |
| Co-curricular activities | 68 | 2.9% |
| Instruction | 54 | 2.3% |
| Living/Roommate | 26 | 1.1% |
| Time Management | 18 | 0.8% |
| Financial | 10 | 0.4% |
| First Year College | 8 | 0.3% |
| Health | 3 | 0.1% |
| Registration | 1 | 0.0% |
| Safety | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other/Miscellaneous | 84 | 3.6% |
Link to verbatim comments by topic
Back to Top Biggest Concerns (Table 2)
A total of 2,066 respondents provided a response to the question asking about what they are most concerned or nervous about in starting their first semester at NC State. About one-third of respondents reported being concerned with performance/workload (33.2%) during their first semester at NC State. Other commonly reported concerns related to the transition to college (21.8%), and time management (14.0%). Less than 4 percent of students reported being most concerned about financial issues (3.8%) and only about 1 percent reported being concerned with issues related to safety (1.1%).
The following are several students' responses that relate to performance/workload and adapting to the transition of college:
"I am concerned that I was not prepared properly for college by my high school, and that I will have a hard time getting adjusted to the work load."
"I am most concerned about being able to handle the stress of a more rigorous school environment along with the newly acquired responsibility of independence."
The following are examples of responses related to concerns with time management:
"I am nervous to be on my own and be responsible for my own time management and balancing school work with the social aspects of college life."
| topic | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Performance/Workload | 685 | 33.2% |
| Transition to College | 450 | 21.8% |
| Time Management | 290 | 14.0% |
| Independence | 282 | 13.6% |
| Social Life | 244 | 11.8% |
| Health | 143 | 6.9% |
| Campus Life/Involvement | 92 | 4.5% |
| Other/Miscellaneous | 84 | 4.1% |
| Financial | 78 | 3.8% |
| Personal/Career Development | 73 | 3.5% |
| Living/Roommate | 61 | 3.0% |
| Instruction | 61 | 3.0% |
| Community/Campus Environment | 30 | 1.5% |
| Safety | 23 | 1.1% |
| Transportation | 13 | 0.6% |
| Registration | 8 | 0.4% |
| Co-curricular activities | 8 | 0.4% |
| Diversity | 7 | 0.3% |
| First Year College | 3 | 0.1% |
Link to verbatim comments by topic
Back to Top
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: January 2011
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