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Who are Today’s Students? What National Data Can Tell Us

Who are Today’s Students? What National Data Can Tell Us. First-Year Seminar Leadership Institute Columbia, SC April 2012. What words best describe current cohorts of first-year students ?. Optimistic Millennials High achieving Civic-minded Moral Tech-savvy Group-oriented. Followers

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Who are Today’s Students? What National Data Can Tell Us

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  1. Who are Today’s Students? What National Data Can Tell Us First-Year Seminar Leadership Institute Columbia, SC April 2012

  2. What words best describe current cohorts of first-year students?

  3. Optimistic • Millennials • High achieving • Civic-minded • Moral • Tech-savvy • Group-oriented • Followers • Dependent • Multicultural • Collectivist • Non-political • Conformist • Entitled • Over-programmed

  4. “The class of 2015 was mostly born in 1993, and they have grown up with e-mail, cellphones and Starbucks. Most were in third grade on Sept. 11, so they are accustomed to heavy security and trusting adults in positions of authority. Their academic successes have been measured in standardized test scores, and their social ones are documented in Facebook newsfeeds.” August 10, 2011

  5. Charge for Today • Demographic overview of today’s college students • Topics and issues relevant to today’s entering cohorts of students • Emerging trends and future issues • How to find relevant data on your campus about entering students

  6. Topics, Trends, & Issues • Spirituality • Diversity • First-generation students • Technology • Social media • Adult learners • Developmental education & academic preparation • Students of color (particularly men) • Integrated learning • Information literacy • Identity • Health and well-being • Academic (dis)engagement • Persistence and retention • High-impact practices • Co/curricular interventions • Sustainability

  7. DATA SOURCES ACHA-NCHA CIRP NSSE Almanac NCES Census CCSSE NRC NCSSD U.S. DOE ACT YFCY IPEDS WICHE

  8. Changing demographics & MULTICULTURALISM

  9. Changing Demographics: Gender • Women will continue to outpace men in enrollment, • numbers, and persistence • Women are making gains in educational aspirations • More women are pursuing traditionally “male” fields

  10. Changing Demographics:1st Generation Students 40% at4-year are first-generation

  11. Changing Demographics:Race & Ethnicity • White, Non-Hispanic students represented 90% of new students in 1969 • Between 2004-2005 and 2014-2015, U.S. public high schools will produce: • 54% more Hispanic graduates • 32% more Asian/Pacific Islander graduates • 7% more American Indian/Alaska Native graduates • 3% more Black, non-Hispanic graduates • 11% fewerWhite, non-Hispanic graduates

  12. Changing Demographics:Multiculturalism • 2% of undergraduates in the US are foreign • 23% of college students are from families in which at least 1 parent was born outside the US • The proportion of K-12 students who speak a language other than English in the home has increased over 10 percentage-points in 25 years • Projections show that multiracial individuals will comprise 21% of the population by 2050 • IPEDS changed the way that student demographic data is reported

  13. 4 Elements of Diversity and Campus Culture • Historical • Structural • Behavioral • Psychological

  14. Diverse Interactions • 76.5% are in favor of gays and lesbians having the legal right to adopt a child • 70.0% of freshmen report that they “frequently” socialized across racial/ethnic groups in HS • 49.9% report that “improving my understanding of other countries and cultures” is “Very Important” or “Essential” • 33.5% indicate that “helping to promote racial understanding” is “Very Important” or “Essential” • Approximately 30% of new students report that they “frequently” discuss politics and religion

  15. Self-Rated Diversity Skills 1

  16. Economic Realities & Financial Concerns

  17. Economic Realities • 40% of all undergraduates in the US are from low-income families • 58% of low-income undergrads are women • 48% of low-income undergrads are students of color • National Spending on Pell Grants has increased but not kept up with the increase in college costs • Rate of unemployment has increased; currently at 9.1% nationally and 10.9% in SC

  18. Economy & College Choice The current economic situation significantly affected my college choice (Mark one): • Agree Strongly • Agree Somewhat • Disagree Somewhat • Disagree Strongly • Have “major” concerns about financing college • Less likely to: • go to college over 100 miles from home • Attend their first-choice college • More likely to: • live with their family • structure college decisions around financial aid

  19. Economy & College Choice Enrollments of traditional-age, first-time students at two-year colleges has increased, including “students who, in a better economy, might have enrolled in other types of institutions but who chose to enroll in CC instead during the recession . . . to save money.” *Continuing reliance upon loans, “53.1% of incoming students reported using loans as part of the financial package needed to attend college.”

  20. Student Employment • “Many Undergraduates Work Long Hours Balancing Jobs with Studies” THE CHRONICLE • 23% of FT students work 20 or more hours/week • 62% of PT students work 20 or more hours/week • The greater the number of hours worked, the more likely students are engaged in off-campus employment • Over half of first-year students report that their job responsibilities “interfere with their schoolwork” at least occasionally

  21. Reactions to Economy • The proportion of entering students at 4-year colleges who have “major” concerns about financing colleges has ranged from 10-20% over the past 40 years. • This proportion increases slightly during the first year • “Generation Vexed: Young Americans rein in their dreams amid so much economic uncertainty, many are rethinking career plans, putting off marriage and avoiding the stock market like the plague.”

  22. HEALTH, WELL-BEING, & SUPPORT

  23. Self-Rated Well-Being in HS Physical Health Percent Frequently Felt Depressed

  24. Personal Challenges During the First Year % of students reporting that they “frequently” or “occasionally” felt: Lonely or homesick 65.1% Isolated from campus life 49.6% Had difficulty getting along with roommate(s) 48.9% Worried about their health 45.6% Unsafe on campus 19.7% % of students reporting that they “frequently” felt: Overwhelmed by all you had to do 40.5% Depressed 12.2%

  25. Physical Health & Wellness • HS drinking among new students is decreasing • Drinking goes up 10-12% during the first year • 42.0% of male & 30.0% of female colleges students regularly binge drink • Students with learning disabilities, ADHD, & psychological disorders report higher rates of drinking • First-year students experience a decline in HPW spent on exercising or sports & leisure activities • 39.6% of undergraduates reported getting enough sleep to feel rested 2 or fewer days per week

  26. Emotional Health & Wellness • The number of student self-injury cases is rising • Significant increases in students who enter college already on psychotropic medication • Directors of campus counseling centers report: • 38% of clients have “severe psychological problems” • 6% have impairments such that they cannot remain in school or do so with extensive psychological or psychiatric help • Increased pressure to share concerns about troubled students who might pose a risk

  27. Support Networks During the First Year Interacted “daily” with: Peer Leadership

  28. Support Networks Peers Family • 77.5% of students said that their parents were involved the “right amount” • 75% of students frequently followed their parents’ advice* • 62.7% frequently felt family support to succeed • 32.5% felt family responsibilities interfered with their schoolwork • 25% “frequently” went home for the weekend • 82.6% see themselves as part of the campus community • 75.7% said that they socialized with friends 6 or more hours per week • 67.9% of first-year students said that their social life interfered with their schoolwork • 15.2% reported “frequently” • 28.1% engaged in “online social networking” 6+ HPW

  29. “Despite all the various hopes, fears, and determination…, optimism about their college education soars, with 57.6% believing that there is a ‘very good chance’ that they will be satisfied with college, the highest this figure has been in 28 years.” CIRP National Norms for 2010

  30. Continuing the Conversation: How to Find and Use Institutional Data on First-Year Students Data Audit Sources of Data

  31. Campus Data Audit What data do I already have? • Are first-year student data collected? • What is being collected? • By whom? • Where are they housed? • Are these data currently being utilized? • If so, how are the results communicated? • If not, why not? • What future data collection efforts are planned? How can I use it?

  32. Sources of Institutional Data • Admissions/Registrar’s Data • Institutional participation in national surveys of first-year students • Program/course evaluations • Utilization statistics • Program review reports • Satisfaction surveys • Campus/student profile • Focus group findings • Home-grown IR surveys • SA departmental surveys, focus groups, or student interviews • Self-study processes/CAS • Accreditation reports • Grants • Strategic planning • Other sources?

  33. Questions? Thank you!keupj@mailbox.sc.edu

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