Amherst College Enrolled Student Survey

Questions from Amherst

1. How would you describe your writing skills when you entered Amherst College?

AMALL01 1 Excellent

AMALL01 2 Above average

AMALL01 3 Average

AMALL01 4 Poor

AMALL01 5 Very poor

2. How would you describe your writing skills now?

AMALL02 1 Excellent

AMALL02 2 Above average

AMALL02 3 Average

AMALL02 4 Poor

AMALL02 5 Very poor

3. What sort of priority do you place on your ability to write effectively?

AMALL03 1 The very highest priority

AMALL03 2 High priority

AMALL03 3 Some priority

AMALL03 4 Low priority

AMALL03 5 No priority at all

4. Have you ever visited the Amherst College Writing Center?

AMALL04 1 Never

AMALL04 2 Once

AMALL04 3 A few times

AMALL04 4 Many times

AMALL04 5 Almost every time that I'm asked to write a paper.

5. If you have never visited the Writing Center, what has held you back? (Check all that apply.)

AMALL05 I don't know much about the Writing Center.

AMALL06 I didn't feel the need.

AMALL07 I didn't believe that I would receive the help that I need.

AMALL08 I didn't feel comfortable with the process.

AMALL09 Other: AMALL09txt

AMALL10 I have visited the Writing Center.

6. If you have visited the Writing Center, how satisfied have you been with the sort of instruction you have received?

AMALL11 1 Very satisfied

AMALL11 2 Generally satisfied

AMALL11 3 Generally dissatisfied

AMALL11 4 Very dissatisfied

AMALL11 5 Varied from visit to visit

AMALL11 6 I have never visited the Writing Center

7. Think about the class when you got the most helpful feedback on your writing, what sort of instruction did you receive from your professors at Amherst College? (Check all that apply.)

AMALL12 In-class instruction

AMALL13 Hand-written or typed comments on papers

AMALL14 Oral paper conferences

AMALL15 Feedback through Blackboard, CMS, or other electronic resources

AMALL16 None

AMALL17 Other: AMALL17txt

8. In how many courses that you have taken at Amherst College has instruction in writing been a high priority of the professor?
AMALL18

9. In general, how would you rate the quality of the writing instruction that you have received from your professors at Amherst College?

AMALL19 1 Excellent

AMALL19 2 Above average

AMALL19 3 Average

AMALL19 4 Poor

AMALL19 5 Very poor

AMALL19 6 Varies widely

AMALL19 7 I did not receive any writing instruction.

10. In which departments (or programs) at Amherst College have your professors helped you to improve your writing skills? (Select up to 3)
AMALL20
AMALL21
AMALL22
11. If you wanted to improve your writing skills, in which departments at Amherst College would you take a course? (Select up to 3)
AMALL23
AMALL24
AMALL25
1 "American Studies" 2 "Anthropology" 3 "Art and the History of Art" 4 "Asian Languages and Civilizations" 5 "Astronomy" 6 "Biochemistry and Biophysics" 7 "Biology" 8 "Black Studies" 9 "Chemistry" 10 "Classics" 11 "Computer Science" 12 "Economics" 13 "English" 14 "Environmental Studies" 15 "European Studies" 16 "Film and Media Studies" 17 "French" 18 "Geology" 19 "German" 20 "Greek" 21 "History" 22 "Latin" 23 "Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought" 24 "Mathematics" 25 "Music" 26 "Neuroscience" 27 "Philosophy" 28 "Physics" 29 "Political Science" 30 "Psychology" 31 "Religion" 32 "Russian" 33 "Sociology" 34 "Spanish" 35 "Theater and Dance" 36 "Women's and Gender Studies" 37 "None"

12. What emphasis do you believe Amherst College, as an institution, places on teaching students how to write effectively?

AMALL26 1 Very Strong

AMALL26 2 Strong

AMALL26 3 Moderate

AMALL26 4 Little

AMALL26 5 Very little/none

13. In general, how satisfied are you with the writing instruction that you have received at Amherst College?

AMALL27 1 Very satisfied

AMALL27 2 Generally satisfied

AMALL27 3 Generally dissatisfied

AMALL27 4 Very dissatisfied

AMALL27 5 Varies widely

14. If you have not taken advantage of courses and resources at the College for improving your writing, why not? (Check all that apply.)

AMALL28 My writing skills are sufficient for my purposes.

AMALL29 Such courses are too much work.

AMALL30 Such courses are too humiliating.

AMALL31 Such courses would threaten my GPA.

AMALL32 I'm not interested in the content of the courses that emphasize instruction in writing.

AMALL33na This question does not apply to me: I have taken advantages of my opportunities.

15. If you had any problems with your writing when you entered Amherst College, how would you characterize them? (Check all that apply.)

AMALL33 Problems with grammar

AMALL34 Problems with figuring out what to say

AMALL35 Problems with organization

AMALL36 Problems with argument

AMALL37 Problems with the fine points of style

AMALL38 AMALL38txt

AMALL39 I had no problems with my writing.

16. If you currently have any writing problems, how would you characterize them? (Check all that apply.)

AMALL40 Problems with grammar.

AMALL41 Problems with figuring out what to say

AMALL42 Problems with organization

AMALL43 Problems with argument

AMALL44 Problems with the fine points of style

AMALL45 AMALL45txt

AMALL46 I don't have any problems with my writing.

17. What is the longest paper that you have written since you've been at Amherst College?

AMALL47 1 1 - 4 pages

AMALL47 2 5 - 10 pages

AMALL47 3 11 - 15 pages

AMALL47 4 16 - 20 pages

AMALL47 5 21 - 30 pages

AMALL47 6 Over 30 pages

18. Please rate the extent to which your abilities in the areas listed below have changed since you first came to Amherst.

	Much weaker 1	2	3	No change 4	5	6	Much stronger 7
Communicating well orally	toral 1	toral 2	toral 3	toral 4	toral 5	toral 6	toral 7
Formulating/creating original ideas and solutions	tcreate 1	tcreate 2	tcreate 3	tcreate 4	tcreate 5	tcreate 6	tcreate 7
Using quantitative tools (e.g., statistics, graphs)	tquant 1	tquant 2	tquant 3	tquant 4	tquant 5	tquant 6	tquant 7
Developing career- or work-related knowledge and skills	tprepar 1	tprepar 2	tprepar 3	tprepar 4	tprepar 5	tprepar 6	tprepar 7
Understanding the process of science and experimentation	tsciproc 1	tsciproc 2	tsciproc 3	tsciproc 4	tsciproc 5	tsciproc 6	tsciproc 7
Leading and supervising tasks and groups of people	tlead 1	tlead 2	tlead 3	tlead 4	tlead 5	tlead 6	tlead 7

19. Please use the space below to elaborate on any of the questions on the survey and to comment on any other aspect of your undergraduate experience not covered in this questionnaire.
COMMENT

Last Section: First-Years

1. Approximately how many writing assignments were given in your First-Year Seminar? (Choose one)

AMFY50 1 0

AMFY50 2 1

AMFY50 3 2 - 4

AMFY50 4 5 - 10

AMFY50 5 11 or more

2. Approximately how many total pages did you write for your First-Year Seminar? (Choose one)

AMFY51 1 1 – 10

AMFY51 2 11 – 25

AMFY51 3 26 – 50

AMFY51 4 51 – 75

AMFY51 5 75 or more

3. What sort of instruction in writing did you receive from the instructor of your First-Year Seminar? (Check all that apply.)

AMFY52 In-class instruction

AMFY53 Hand-written or typed comments on papers

AMFY54 Oral paper conferences

AMFY55 Feedback through Blackboard, CMS, or other electronic resources

AMFY56 None

AMFY57 AMALL57txt

4. How would you describe the written feedback you received about your writing from your First-Year Seminar instructor? (Choose One)

AMFY58 1 Very few or no comments were given on writing assignments

AMFY58 2 Extensive and helpful comments

AMFY58 3 Extensive but not helpful comments

AMFY58 4 Brief and helpful comments

AMFY58 5 Brief but not very helpful comments

5. Do you believe that your academic writing skills improved as a result of your taking a First-Year Seminar?

AMFY63 1 Substantially

AMFY63 2 Somewhat

AMFY63 3 Little

AMFY63 4 None

6. At this early date, do you plan to write a Senior Honors Thesis?

AMFY48 1 Yes

AMFY48 2 No

AMFY48 3 I'm not sure

Last Section: Sophomores

1. At this early date, do you plan to write a Senior Honors Thesis?

AMFY48 1 Yes

AMFY48 2 No

AMFY48 3 I'm not sure

Last Section: Juniors

1. Whether or not you plan to write a thesis, do you feel adequately prepared to write a Senior Honors Thesis?

AMJU65 1 Yes

AMJU65 2 No

2. What experiences prepared you for such a large writing project? (Check all that apply)

AMJU66 Classes that I took in high school.

AMJU67 My First-Year Seminar

AMJU68 Courses that I took in my major

AMJU69 Courses that I took in other departments [Box: Please list]

AMJU70 Instruction that I received at the Writing Center

AMJU71 Inspiration from a faculty member

AMJU72 Exposure to research methods in my discipline

AMJU73 Other: AMJU73txt

3. How do you think that the College could better prepare you to write a Senior Thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMJU74 Offer more writing courses in my major

AMJU75 Offer a writing course specifically designed to prepare me to write a thesis

AMJU76 Offer more writing courses

AMJU77 Offer more resources in the Writing Center (tutorials, workshops)

AMJU78 Research methods class in my discipline

AMJU79 Other: AMJU79txt

4. Do you plan to write a Senior Honors Thesis?

AMJU48 1 Yes

AMJU48 2 No

AMJU48 3 I'm not sure - skip to Question 7

5. If you answered "yes" to Question 4 (you plan to write a Senior Honors Thesis), why do you want to write a thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMJU80 I want to get Latin honors.

AMJU81 I think that I would learn a lot from the experience.

AMJU82 There's a question that I would like to explore, and the honors thesis process will give me the best opportunity to explore it.

AMJU83 Writing a thesis is a requirement for my major.

AMJU84 I want to work closely with a faculty thesis advisor.

AMJU85 To prepare for graduate school.

AMJU86 I want to add the thesis to my resume.

AMJU87 Other: AMJU87txt

6. If you answered "no" to Question 4 (you do not plan to write a Senior Honors Thesis), why have you decided not to write a thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMJU88 I don't feel prepared to write a thesis.

AMJU89 My friends who wrote a thesis were miserable.

AMJU90 I believe that I would not gain much from the experience.

AMJU91 There's no question that I'd like to spend two semesters attempting to answer.

AMJU92 I believe that I would learn more by taking additional courses at the College.

AMJU93 Other: AMJU93txt

7. How do you think that the College could help to make the Senior Thesis experience more rewarding? (Check all that apply)

AMJU100 Offer more courses or workshops that would help students to develop the skills that they need to write a thesis.

AMJU101 Give students a more realistic sense of what writing a thesis will entail.

AMJU102 Provide more pleasant, quiet spaces for thesis students to work.

AMJU103 Provide faculty with training on advising Senior Theses.

AMJU104 Offer more writing courses in my major.

AMJU105 Offer methods course in my major.

AMJU106 Other: AMJU106txt

Last Section: Seniors

1. Are you writing a Senior Honors Thesis?

AMSEN107 1 Yes

AMSEN107 2 No

AMSEN107 3 I started a thesis, but decided not to pursue it.

2. If you are not writing a Senior Honor Thesis:
Why did you decide not to write a thesis? (Check all that apply and then skip to Question 9)

AMSEN131 1 I didn't feel prepared to write a thesis.

AMSEN132 1 My friends who wrote a thesis were miserable.

AMSEN133 1 I believed that I would not gain much from the experience.

AMSEN134 1 There was no question that I wanted to spend two semesters attempting to answer.

AMSEN135 1 I believed that I would learn more by taking additional courses at the College.

AMSEN136 1 I could not find a good match for a thesis advisor .

AMSEN137 1 Other: AMSEN137txt

3. If you are writing or started a thesis and decided not to pursue it:
Did you feel adequately prepared to take on such a large writing project?

AMSEN108 1 Yes

AMSEN108 2 No

4. If you are writing or started a thesis and decided not to pursue it:
What experiences prepared you for such a large writing project? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN109 Classes that I took in high school.

AMSEN110 My First-Year Seminar

AMSEN111 Courses that I took in my major

AMSEN112 Courses that I took in other departments

AMSEN113 Instruction that I received at the Writing Center

AMSEN114 Inspiration from a faculty member

AMSEN115 Exposure to research methods in my discipline

AMSEN116 AMSEN116txt

5. If you are writing or started a thesis and decided not to pursue it:
Why did you want to write a thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN123 I wanted to get Latin honors.

AMSEN124 I thought that I would learn a lot from the experience.

AMSEN125 There's a question that I wanted to explore, and the honors thesis process gave me the best opportunity to explore it.

AMSEN126 Writing a thesis was a requirement for my major.

AMSEN127 I wanted to work closely with a faculty thesis advisor.

AMSEN128 To prepare for graduate school.

AMSEN129 I wanted to add the thesis to my resume.

AMSEN130 AMSEN130txt

If you are writing a thesis, go to Question 6.
If you started a thesis and decided not to pursue it, skip to Question 9.

6. If you are writing a Senior Honors Thesis:
Are you glad that you decided to write a thesis?

AMSEN144 1 Definitely

AMSEN144 2 Ambivalent

AMSEN144 3 Definitely not

7. If you are writing a Senior Honors Thesis:
What was most valuable about the thesis writing experience? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN145 My research skills improved.

AMSEN146 My writing skills improved.

AMSEN147 I learned how to manage a major complex project.

AMSEN148 I'm proud of what I produced.

AMSEN149 I enjoyed working one-on-one with my thesis advisor.

AMSEN150 I enjoyed the sense of camaraderie with my fellow thesis writers.

AMSEN151 Nothing was valuable.

AMSEN152 AMSEN152txt

8. If you are writing a Senior Honors Thesis:
What regrets, if any, do you have about writing a thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN153 No regrets

AMSEN154 I wasn't prepared to write a thesis.

AMSEN155 I would have learned more if I had taken 2-3 more courses.

AMSEN156 I got bored with the topic.

AMSEN157 I couldn't manage such a large project.

AMSEN158 I didn't get along with my thesis advisor.

AMSEN159 The experience undermined my self-confidence.

AMSEN160 The thesis took too much time that I would have preferred to have spent otherwise.

AMSEN161 Working on my thesis was isolating.

AMSEN162 AMSEN162txt

9. How do you think that the College might have better prepared you to write a Senior Thesis? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN117 1 Offer more writing courses in my major

AMSEN118 1 Offer a writing course specifically designed to prepare me to write a thesis

AMSEN119 1 Offer more writing courses

AMSEN120 1 Offer more resources in the Writing Center (tutorials, workshops)

AMSEN121 1 Research methods class in my discipline

AMSEN122 1 Other: AMSEN122txt

10. How do you think that the College might have helped to make the Senior Thesis experience more rewarding? (Check all that apply)

AMSEN138 1 Offer more courses or workshops that would help students to develop the skills that they need to write a thesis.

AMSEN139 1 Give students a more realistic sense of what writing a thesis will entail.

AMSEN140 1 Provide more pleasant, quiet spaces for thesis students to work.

AMSEN141 1 Provide faculty with training on advising Senior Theses

AMSEN142 1 More writing courses in my major

AMSEN143 1 Methods course in my major

AMSEN200 1 Other: AMSEN200txt