The most important decisions facing new freshmen are choosing a residence and selecting first semester classes. The residence decision is foremost in students' minds when they arrive and students have a very brief time to make this decision. What makes students choose one type of living group over another? How difficult is the housing decision? What factors influence their choice of academic subjects? Do they have enough information to make informed academic decisions? These are some of the questions asked in the pre- and post-R/O surveys.Housing Decisions
The pre- and post-R/O surveys asked freshmen about the factors that influenced their housing decision. The same four factors were noted as most important in both surveys, although ranked slightly differently in each. (1)
Pre-Survey Post-Survey Friendliness of freshmen 1 3 Friendliness of upperclass students 2 1 Facilities 3 2 Physical condition of the building 4 4 Comparison of pre- and post- survey responses shows that certain factors decreased in importance over time. There were significant differences for proximity to campus (p<.001), finances (p<.001), friendliness of upperclass residents (p<.05), friendliness of other freshmen residents (p<.001), group spirit (p<.01), crowding, p<.001), and facilities (p<.05). (2) (See figure 5-1.)
For the most part, men and women viewed the factors influencing their housing decision similarly; however, whether male or female, dorm and FSILG residents appear to have different priorities. Dorm residents gave higher priority to facilities available in the building, proximity to campus, and the co-ed composition of the group. On the other hand, FSILG residents gave higher priority to the friendliness of upperclass and other freshman residents, group spirit, and finances. Although male and female dorm residents exhibited similar patterns, women dorm residents rated facilities and kitchens slightly more important than male dorm residents. (See Table 5-1.)
As the following statistics suggest, the brief period of time during which residence decisions are made is characterized by intense activity. Two-thirds participated in Rush -- 78 percent of the men and 51 percent of the women. Approximately 90 percent visited FSILGs, and 64 percent gave them serious consideration. Ninety-six percent visited dorms and 86 percent gave them serious consideration. Students visiting FSILGs visited an average of 4. Those seriously considering an FSILG thought carefully about 2 on average. Students visiting dorms saw an average of 6, and if seriously contemplating dorms, investigated an average of 3.
About half said the housing decision was not difficult, while one-third indicated it was. Over half said they had sufficient information, while one-fifth disagreed. Approximately two-fifths said they had sufficient time, while one-third said they did not. Men, both those in dorms and FSILGs, were more likely to indicate difficulty, insufficient information, and insufficient time than women. A higher percentage of men in FSILGs than dorms noted insufficient time. The 1986 survey also showed that men had more difficulty with the housing decision than women. Rush participation influenced perceptions among men. Men who did not participate in Rush were more apt than those who participated to say they had sufficient time to make a decision. (See Table 5-2.)
Students considering more than one FSILG were more likely to have difficulty making a housing decision than those considering only one (46% vs. 29%, p<.01). They were also more likely to say they lacked time to make an informed choice (43% vs. 29%, p<.05).
Satisfaction with choice of living group
In spite of the difficulty and lack of time and information which affected some, students were generally satisfied with their choice of living group; 87 percent were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" (63% "very satisfied"), while only 7 percent were "very dissatisfied" or "dissatisfied." (4) Male FSILG residents were the most satisfied (75% said "very satisfied"); male dorm residents were the least satisfied (50% said "very satisfied") and female dorm residents fell in between (65% said "very satisfied"). (5) (See figure 5-2.)
Seventy-one percent of the respondents received their first choice in the dormitory lottery, and 22 percent received their second choice; the remainder received lower choices. These figures are comparable to the fall 1997 statistics compiled by RCA which indicate that 69 percent received their first choice and 26 percent their second. As expected, students receiving their first choice in the dorm lottery were more likely to be satisfied with their living group than those receiving a lower choice (91% vs. 66%). This pattern is the same for men and women. Even though students who seriously considered more than one FSILG were more likely to say their decision was difficult and the time was insufficient, they did not differ in level of satisfaction with their living group. Male Rush participants who received a bid from their favored FSILG and non-participants were more satisfied with their living group choice than Rush participants who did not receive a bid. There were no significant differences among women by Rush participation. (See Table 5-3.)
Academic Decisions
The second important task facing new freshmen is choosing first semester classes. Of course, many factors go into making a decision about what classes to take. Among the list of factors included in the post-R/O survey, five were considered the most influential: the chance to learn something new, interesting material, the subject fulfilled requirements, the subject's academic rigor, and the chance to explore a potential major. (See figure 5-3.) On the whole, men and women had similar responses with one exception: the chance to explore a potential major was a more important factor for women than men (76% vs. 63%, p<.01). (6)
Approximately half the students said it was easy to select fall term classes, while slightly over one- quarter said it was difficult. While the overall patterns are similar in 1986 and 1997, in 1986 women were more likely to indicate difficulty than men, whereas in 1997 there were no differences between men and women. (7)
In 1997 approximately two-thirds of the students thought they had sufficient time and information to make an informed decision about their first semester subjects, while 16 percent did not. Here too, the overall patterns are similar in 1986 and 1997, although the questions are coded somewhat differently. (8)
As with the earlier question about difficulty, in 1986 women were significantly more likely than men to note insufficient time and information while in 1997 men and women had similar responses. (9) (See Table 5-4.)
Meetings With Advisors
Students were asked how helpful meetings with advisors and associate advisors were for choosing freshmen subjects. Slightly less than half thought these meetings were helpful, and slightly less than one-third disagreed. Men and women had similar responses. (see Table 5-5.)
(1) In the 1986 post-R/O survey, the results were very similar. Listed in ranked order the results were: friendly upperclass students, group spirit, friendly freshmen, and, tied for fourth place, physical condition and facilities.
(2) The 1986 survey also noted decreases in importance between pre- and post-survey responses.
(3) In 1986, three-fourths indicated they had sufficient information and time. It must be noted, however, that the questions were asked differently. In 1986, students were asked: "Do you feel you had enough time to make decisions during R/O week? Housing decision: ___Yes ___No ___Not Sure."
A similarly worded question was asked about information. In the 1997 post-survey students were asked "Did you have sufficient information about residences to make an informed decision?" and "Did you have sufficient time to make an informed decision about where to live?" For both questions, students were given a 5 point scale ranging from Not at all sufficient (code 1) to Very Sufficient (code 5). Codes 4 and 5 on the 1997 survey can be considered similar to the "yes" responses on the 1986 survey. Given the discrepancy between the 1997 responses and the 1986 ones, we cannot be certain if, in fact, students have less time and information, or whether the change in wording affected the response.(4) In 1986, the mean for satisfaction with living group was 4.41 and in 1997 the mean was 4.35 (1=Very Dissatisfied to 5 = Very Satisfied).
(5) This pattern is the same as that seen in the 1994 Senior Survey and the 1995 Sophomore Survey about the freshman year. In both, students living in ILGs evidenced higher levels of satisfaction than those living in dormitories.
(6) These same five factors were most important in 1986 and 1997.
(7) The 1986 and 1997 surveys had comparable overall mean scores. The five-point scale ranged from 1 (very easy) to 5 (very difficult). In 1986 the mean was 2.72 and in 1997 it was 2.70. In 1986 the male mean was 2.62 and the female mean was 2.88 (p<.01). In 1997 the male mean was 2.73 and the female mean was 2.64 (not significant).
(8) In 1997, students could answer both questions on a scale of 1 to 5, while in 1986, the answer choices were "yes," "no," or "unsure." When the 1986 "yes" responses are compared to the combined 4 and 5 categories in the 1997 survey, the percentage distributions are remarkably similar.
(9) In 1986, 40-41% of the women indicated they lacked sufficient information and sufficient time, compared to 17-19% of the men.
