North Carolina State University
2006 Sophomore Student Survey:
Highlights

• NC State conducted its annual survey of sophomores during the spring 2006 semester. Eligible students had completed 45-59 credit hours, with at least 30 at NC State. The survey methodology consisted of a web survey, followed by a paper survey distributed by academic advisors to those students not responding on the web. The final response rate was 69.1 percent (1,454 of 2,104 students), with a margin of error of ±0.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.

• Survey results generally indicate that the vast majority of sophomores are happy in their decision to attend NC State. 82 percent report experiencing a sense of belonging at NC State either to 'some' or a 'great extent,' and 90 percent they plan to complete their degree here. Only 7 percent of respondents say they would not choose to attend NC State if they had it to do over again. 16 percent of respondents, however, had seriously considered leaving NC State. The most common reasons given for thinking about leaving were related to academic program (e.g., to enter a program not offered at NC State, or to attend a school with a stronger program), or for personal reasons (e.g., family concerns, general happiness, etc.)

• Sophomores are very satisfied with the academic environment at NC State. About 90 percent rate the intellectual environment on campus as "strong" or "very strong," and rate the overall education and the overall quality of instruction as "excellent" or "good." Another 90 percent say that NC State is meeting their intellectual growth needs.

• A majority of sophomores give NC State faculty high marks on all aspects of instruction asked about. While rated positively by most respondents, relatively lower marks are given to faculty providing opportunities to learn cooperatively with other students, caring about the academic success and welfare of the students, encouraging faculty-student interactions, and respecting diverse talents and ways of learning. Students are also very likely to report having had at least one class that was too large to learn effectively and at least one class in which they had difficulty understanding the instructor's English.

• Sophomores appear to have limited opportunities to work closely with faculty. Only about one-fourth of respondents say they met regularly with a faculty member to get academic guidance - - the most commonly reported type of "mentoring" relationship among those asked about. Only about 5 percent or fewer sophomores report working with a faculty member on an independent study project, a non course-related research project, or a non course-related extension or public service project. However, the large majority of those participating in such relationships say they contributed "some" or "a great deal" to their personal or professional growth.

• The majority of sophomores believe that the NC State community is committed to creating an environment that promotes and supports diversity. There are, however, racial/ethnic differences in beliefs about the extent to which this is happening. Virtually all (97%) white respondents agree that NC State is committed to minority student success, compared to about three-fourths of African American respondents. About 85 percent of white respondents agree that NC State leaders foster diversity on campus, compared to two-thirds of African American respondents.

• Paid employment is fairly widespread among NC State sophomores. Over half (56%) of respondents are employed during the academic year. Students working in on-campus jobs are far more likely than those working off campus to work 10 or fewer hours per week (61% versus 26%). Regardless of whether working on or off campus, less than 20 percent of employed sophomores are working in jobs related to their academic major. The most common reason among all respondents given for paid employment was the need to pay for basic expenses like rent and utilities, closely followed by earning extra money for personal expenses (e.g., entertainment, travel, etc.).