HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE
PROFILE OF THE FRESHMAN
CLASS OF 2004
BASED ON THE TRANSITION TO
COLLEGE INVENTORY
The Transition to College Inventory (TCI)
is administered each year to the incoming freshman class at Preview to
identify students who may be at-risk for academic difficulty or attrition. Student responses provide an overview of
the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors of each year’s freshman class,
which can also provide a context
for better understanding the student populations we serve.
·
This
year, as in previous years, the most important reason for attending college is
to be able to get a better job.
Ninety-five percent of the 2004 freshman class saw this as a very important reason for attending
college, a percentage much higher than that found in similar national data. ODU freshmen continue this year to be
very focused on a future career and the ability to make more money as their
primary reasons for attending college.
·
Students this
year appear to be relying less on the opinions of others (parents, teachers, ODU
friends and faculty) and more on their own decision resources when choosing to
attend ODU. Increasingly, students
say they based their decisions to attend on the University’s academic reputation
and location and their direct experience at Open Houses.
·
As high school seniors, most
ODU freshmen spent much more time each week engaged in nonacademic activities
such as working for pay or socializing with friends than they spent studying or
doing homework. Sixty-two percent
spent fewer than 6 hours a week studying in their senior year while 49% worked
for pay over 16 hours per week.
·
Similar to past surveys, the
majority (73%) of freshmen continued to rate themselves highly (above average or
top 10%) in general academic ability.
In contrast, far fewer
(about half) rated themselves highly in fundamental courses like math and
writing, and fewer still rated themselves highly in study skills (25%) or time
management skills (40%).
·
In some areas, appear to be
slightly less committed to the role of being a good college
student.
·
ODU freshmen continue to
enter with an inflated notion of their potential for academic success in
college (75% indicate a very good chance of earning at least a B average), both
in comparison to the reality of college GPAs and in comparison to the
predictions of their national peers.
·
Some items from each of the
Traits, Attitudes and Predictions categories of the TCI indicate a shift toward
entering freshmen having less confidence and/or motivation than previous
entering classes.
·
Given the greater
selectivity in admissions this year, it is puzzling that a higher percentage of
freshmen are planning somewhat less involvement in the academic and social life
of the campus than previous entering classes.
·
While
career enhancement is a major focus of college attendance for ODU freshmen, less
than one third of entering students are firmly grounded in their career
decisions.