North Carolina State University
2004-2005 Graduating Senior Survey:
All Respondents
This report presents findings from the 2004-2005 Graduating Senior Survey. It describes the overall responses to each survey question within the following topics: student goals and intentions, academic environment and faculty contributions, campus climate, evaluation of student services, knowledge, skills and personal development, and employment and extracurricular activities. For a full discussion of the survey�s methodology, see "2004-2005 Graduating Senior Survey: Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile." Responses broken down by gender, race/ethnicity, and college, as well as a copy of the survey instrument with exact question wording, are available on the web.
Table of Contents:
Academic Environment and Faculty Contributions
Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Development
Employment and Extracurricular Activities
Students were asked questions regarding their primary goal or objective in attending NC State and to what extent that goal or objective was accomplished. The majority of respondents� primary goal in attending NC State was either to prepare for a new career or profession (43.4%) or to prepare for graduate or professional school (35.3%). Almost three-fourths (73.9%) of all respondents said they "fully accomplished" their goal.
Respondents who said their primary goal was to earn a bachelor�s degree or certificate were most likely to fully accomplish that objective (88.6%). Close to three-fourths (74.3%) of the 964 seniors who said their primary goal was to prepare for a new career or profession said they "fully accomplished" their goal. Slightly fewer of those whose primary objective was to prepare for graduate or professional school said they "fully accomplished" their goal (67.1%).
Table 1: Goals and Objectives at NC State
|
Goal/objective for attending NCSU |
Accomplishment of goal/objective |
|||
|
Not accomplished |
Partially accomplished |
Fully accomplished |
Total |
|
|
Prep. for new career/profession (N=964) |
0.5% |
25.2% |
74.3% |
43.4% |
|
Prep. for grad/prof school (N=784) |
0.6% |
32.3% |
67.1% |
35.3% |
|
Bach. deg./certificate only (N=413) |
0.2% |
11.1% |
88.6% |
18.6% |
|
Improve for current profession (N=28) |
7.1% |
35.7% |
57.1% |
1.3% |
|
Courses for personal interest (N=10) |
0.0% |
40.0% |
60.0% |
0.5% |
|
Other (N=23) |
4.4% |
43.5% |
52.2% |
1.0% |
|
Total (N=2,222) |
0.6% |
25.5% |
73.9% |
100.0% |
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Time to Graduate (Table 2)
More than half of the respondents (54.4%) reported that it took them longer than four years to graduate. When offered a list of 11 possible reasons for their delayed graduation, roughly one-third of them chose only one of the reasons, one third chose two, and another third chose three or more. The most commonly chosen reason for taking more than four years to graduate was changing majors (38.6%), followed by hours spent working (27.7%). Study abroad was least likely to be reported as a reason for taking longer than four years to graduate (5.1%). Of the 13 percent who selected other reasons for taking longer than four years to graduate, common responses included poor advising, time off from school, involvement in extracurricular activities, participation in varsity sports, and extra classes for personal interest.
Table 2: Time to Graduate
|
Taken >4 yrs to graduate? |
N |
% |
|
Yes |
1,211 |
54.4% |
|
Reasons
for taking longer than 4 years to graduate* |
N |
% |
| Changed majors |
467
|
38.6%
|
| Hours spent working |
336
|
27.7%
|
| Personal reasons |
288
|
23.8%
|
| Lost credits when transferred |
263
|
21.7%
|
| Double major/minor |
253
|
20.9%
|
| Wanted/advised lighter courseload |
242
|
20.0%
|
| Could not get classes needed |
219
|
18.1%
|
| Co-op/intern/practicum/teach/etc |
172
|
14.2%
|
| Financial reasons |
162
|
13.4%
|
| Other reasons |
159
|
13.1%
|
| Study abroad |
62
|
5.1%
|
Withdrawal/Transfer from NCSU (Table 3)
Almost one-fourth of respondents (23.5%) reported that they had considered withdrawing or transferring from NC State before graduation, although most had not seriously considered doing so. A relatively small number of students (4.0%) reported they had actually left NC State at some point and later returned and went on to graduate.
Table 3: Withdrawal/Transfer from NC State
|
Ever consider withdrawal or transfer from NCSU? |
N |
% |
|
No |
1,701 |
76.5% |
|
Yes, not seriously |
239 |
10.8% |
|
Yes, seriously |
193 |
8.7% |
|
Yes-left & returned |
90 |
4.0% |
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Reasons for staying at NC State (Table 4)
Respondents who considered withdrawing or transferring or had actually done so were asked to describe their reasons for staying at or returning to NC State. The most frequently reported reasons were personal reasons (47.7%), such as accomplishment of a personal goal or to be close to friends. One-fifth of respondents (20.5%) reported that their decision to stay at NC State or return to NC State was based on the programs offered at NC State, such as program or degree availability, and prestige or quality of instruction within an academic department at NC State.
Table 4: Reasons for staying at NC State or returning to NC State (N=482)
|
|
N |
% |
|
Personal reasons |
230
|
47.7%
|
|
Program offered at NC State |
99
|
20.5%
|
| Hassle (i.e., lose credit hours, etc.) |
78
|
16.2%
|
| NCSU campus/city environment |
49
|
10.2%
|
|
Financial reasons |
36
|
7.5%
|
|
Miscellaneous/other reasons |
13
|
2.7%
|
Post-Graduation Plans (Table 5)
At the time they completed the survey,
about 40 percent of respondents (37.8%) reported that they were still seeking
employment. About 14 percent said that they had already accepted a job for after
graduation (10.4%) or would continue in their current position (3.3%). Close
to one-fourth said that they plan to go on to graduate or professional school
either full-time (19.2%) or part-time (4.9%).
Given that 50 percent of respondents completed the survey 4 or more months prior
to graduation, it is important to note that reports on post-graduation plans
are somewhat related to how close to graduation the respondent completed the
survey. More than one-fifth of respondents (22%) who completed the survey within
2 months of graduation had accepted a new job, as compared to 11 percent of
those completing it 2 to 3 months prior to graduation, and 6 percent of those
doing so 4 or more months before graduating.
Table 5: Plans Following Graduation
|
Plans
following graduation
|
When completed survey (months prior to graduation) |
Total
|
||||||
|
Less than
2 months
|
2-3
months
|
4 or more
months
|
||||||
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
| Still seeking employment |
115
|
30.6%
|
311
|
43.0%
|
414
|
36.8%
|
840
|
37.8%
|
| Graduate/prof. school full-time |
79
|
21.0%
|
113
|
15.6%
|
236
|
21.0%
|
428
|
19.2%
|
| Don't know yet |
31
|
8.2%
|
73
|
10.1%
|
162
|
14.4%
|
266
|
12.0%
|
| Have accepted a job |
83
|
22.1%
|
81
|
11.2%
|
68
|
6.0%
|
232
|
10.4%
|
| Other |
32
|
8.5%
|
28
|
3.9%
|
67
|
6.0%
|
127
|
5.7%
|
| G/P school part-time & work part-time |
11
|
2.9%
|
31
|
4.3%
|
66
|
5.9%
|
108
|
4.9%
|
| Not seeking empl./not planning school |
13
|
3.5%
|
47
|
6.5%
|
38
|
3.4%
|
98
|
4.4%
|
| Continuing in current position |
7
|
1.9%
|
21
|
2.9%
|
45
|
4.0%
|
73
|
3.3%
|
| Entering military service |
3
|
0.8%
|
10
|
1.4%
|
18
|
1.6%
|
31
|
1.4%
|
| Take more undergrad courses |
2
|
0.5%
|
8
|
1.1%
|
12
|
1.1%
|
22
|
1.0%
|
| Total |
376
|
16.9%
|
723
|
32.5%
|
1,126
|
50.6%
|
2,225
|
100.0%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Off-Campus Degree Program (Table 6)
Respondents who were pursuing their degree through an off-campus degree program were asked the likelihood of obtaining a degree at a UNC campus had the off-campus degree program been unavailable. While a majority of respondents reported that they "very likely" (21.4%) or "probably" (33.5%) would have obtained a degree at a UNC campus, more than one-fourth said it was "not likely" (28.3%) they would have done so.
Table 6: Off-Campus Degree Program
|
|
Mean
Rating
|
4:
Very likely
|
3:
Probably
|
2:
Probably not
|
1:
Not likely
|
| Likelihood of obtaining degree at UNC campus if off-campus degree program not available (Among those in an off-campus degree program) |
2.48
|
21.4%
|
33.5%
|
16.8%
|
28.3%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Academic Environment and Faculty Contributions
Satisfaction with Education (Table 7)
The majority of graduating seniors appeared to be satisfied with the education they received at NC State. About 90 percent (89.6%) reported that they would recommend NC State to a friend. More than three-fourths (77.4%) said if they could start over, they would choose NC State again, and close to two-thirds (64.1%) said they would choose the same major again. Less than 10 percent said they would not choose NC State again (6.7%) and slightly more (14.6%) stated that they would not choose the same major again.
Table 7: Satisfaction with Education
|
Yes |
Not Sure |
No |
|
|
Recommend NCSU to a friend? |
89.6% |
7.4% |
3.0% |
|
Choose NC State again? |
77.4%
|
15.9%
|
6.7%
|
|
Choose same major again? |
64.1%
|
21.3%
|
14.6%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Evaluation of Education (Tables 8 and 9)
Students were asked to give their opinions of the academic environment at NC State. Specifically, they rated the overall education they received, instruction in their major and overall, and the intellectual environment on campus.
The vast majority of respondents (94.2%) gave positive ratings to the overall education they had received at NC State. Most were also happy with the quality of instruction they had received, although ratings were higher for instruction within their major than overall. A majority of respondents said instruction in their major was "excellent" (50.9%) and another 40.4 percent said it was "good." In comparison, about one-fourth (27.3%) rated their overall instruction as "excellent," while 61.3 percent said it was "good." Finally, over 90 percent of respondents agreed that the intellectual environment on campus was "strong" (65.6%) or "very strong" (26.2%).
Table 8: Evaluation of Education
|
Mean |
4: Excellent |
3: Good |
2: Fair |
1: Poor |
|
|
Quality of instruction in major |
3.41
|
50.9%
|
40.4%
|
7.7%
|
1.0%
|
|
Quality of instruction overall |
3.15
|
27.3%
|
61.3%
|
10.6%
|
0.7%
|
|
Evaluate overall educ. received |
3.37
|
43.6%
|
50.6%
|
5.3%
|
0.6%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Table 9: Intellectual Environment
|
Mean |
4: Very strong |
3: Strong |
2: Weak |
1: Very weak |
|
|
Intellectual environment on campus |
3.17
|
26.2%
|
65.6%
|
7.7%
|
0.5%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Faculty Contributions (Table 10)
Students were asked to evaluate various aspects of the teaching styles of faculty members in their major department, using a scale from 1 ("poor") to 4 ("excellent"). "Don�t know" responses were not included in calculations of average ratings. Overall, students were very positive about the contributions faculty in their major department made toward their education. Highest ratings were given to faculty setting high expectations to learn and to encouraging that time and energy be devoted to coursework, with over 90 percent of respondents rating faculty as "excellent" or "good" on these aspects of teaching. Although still rated as "excellent" or "good" by a majority of respondents, factors related to faculty involvement with students on a more individual basis received somewhat lower ratings.
Table 10: Faculty Contributions
| Mean | 4: Excellent | 3: Good | 2: Fair | 1: Poor | |
| Faculty: Set high expectations for learning |
3.45
|
48.3%
|
48.1%
|
3.3%
|
0.3%
|
| Faculty: Encourage devoting time/energy to coursework |
3.39
|
46.9%
|
46.0%
|
6.2%
|
0.8%
|
| Faculty: Opp. to learn cooperatively with fellow students |
3.27
|
41.6%
|
45.6%
|
11.4%
|
1.4%
|
| Faculty: Encourage actively involved learning |
3.26
|
40.6%
|
46.2%
|
12.0%
|
1.2%
|
| Faculty: Respect diverse talents/ways of learning |
3.19
|
34.7%
|
51.3%
|
12.5%
|
1.5%
|
| Faculty: Care about your academic success and welfare |
3.18
|
39.8%
|
41.9%
|
15.2%
|
3.1%
|
| Faculty: Encourage student-faculty interaction |
3.15
|
36.7%
|
43.9%
|
17.3%
|
2.1%
|
| Faculty: Give frequent and prompt feedback |
3.14
|
31.1%
|
53.1%
|
14.7%
|
1.0%
|
| Faculty: Evaluation on all eight measures |
3.27
|
36.8%
|
54.3%
|
8.4%
|
0.5%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Campus Climate (Tables 11 and 12)
Students were asked to rate what they perceived to be the general attitude on campus toward various groups of students (e.g., Women, African American, those with disabilities, etc). A majority of respondents felt the campus climate was at least "mildly supportive" toward each of the groups asked about, with one exception. While more than 40 percent of respondents (43.8%) felt the campus climate was at least "mildly supportive" towards gay and lesbian students, respondents were about three times more likely to say the campus was nonsupportive toward gays and lesbians than any other group asked about. Slightly more than 10 percent (11.5%) thought the campus was "mildly nonsupportive," and another 4.4 percent said the campus was "strongly nonsupportive" toward gay and lesbian students.
A vast majority of respondents agreed either "strongly" (47.3%) or "somewhat" (46.8%) that NC State is committed to helping minority students succeed. However, respondents were less likely to agree that NC State has visible leadership from the Chancellor and other administrators to foster diversity on campus (32.4% "agree strongly," 48.4% "agree somewhat").
Table 11: Campus Climate
|
Mean
|
5:
Strongly supportive
|
4:
Mildly supportive
|
3:
Neutral
|
2:
Mildly nonsupportive
|
1:
Strongly nonsupportive
|
|
| Rate campus climate for men |
4.26
|
56.2%
|
17.7%
|
23.3%
|
1.9%
|
0.9%
|
| Rate campus climate for women |
4.23
|
47.8%
|
29.9%
|
19.9%
|
2.1%
|
0.3%
|
| Rate campus climate for African Amer stdnts |
4.12
|
45.8%
|
25.9%
|
23.6%
|
3.8%
|
0.9%
|
| Rate campus climate for international stdnts |
3.99
|
38.2%
|
28.6%
|
28.3%
|
4.1%
|
0.8%
|
| Rate campus climate for ethnic minorities |
3.95
|
36.3%
|
29.2%
|
28.7%
|
4.7%
|
1.0%
|
| Rate campus climate for disabled stdnts |
3.92
|
36.1%
|
26.1%
|
32.2%
|
4.8%
|
0.8%
|
| Rate campus climate for gay/lesbian stdnts |
3.46
|
22.6%
|
21.2%
|
40.3%
|
11.5%
|
4.4%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Table 12: Support for Diversity
|
Mean |
4: Agree strongly |
3: Agree somewhat |
2: Disagree somewhat |
1: Disagree strongly |
|
|
NCSU is committed to minority students' success |
3.41
|
47.3%
|
46.8%
|
5.2%
|
0.8%
|
|
NCSU leaders foster diversity on campus |
3.09
|
32.4%
|
48.4%
|
15.4%
|
3.8%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Survey respondents were instructed to evaluate various academic and non-academic services provided by NC State, based on their experiences within the last two years on campus. Ratings ranged from 1 ("poor") to 4 ("excellent"). The "don�t know/did not use" option available for those students with insufficient experience to evaluate a service area was excluded from analyses.
Academic services encompassed six primary areas: academic advising, research support, technology services, library services, career-related services, and employment search assistance. Overall, students are pleased with virtually all 28 specific services asked about, with each getting a positive rating of "good" or "excellent" by a large majority of respondents. In general respondents gave highest ratings to technology and library services and lowest ratings to research support. Among the individual items the highest rating was given to access to the Internet, followed by library hours of operation. Only 2 items had ratings of "fair" or "poor" by more than 25 percent of respondents: sufficient time with advisor and access to trained technology staff.
Academic Advising: Four of the five aspects of academic advising asked about were rated as "excellent" by at least 40 percent of respondents. Highest ratings went to access to advisor, with 47 percent rating it as "excellent." While still rated positively by a majority of respondents, slightly fewer respondents reported advisors' knowledge of policies/procedures to be "excellent" (38.6%). And, though rated as "excellent" by more than 40 percent of respondents, sufficient time with advisor was rated as only "fair" by 17.1 percent of respondents, and "poor" by another 9.2 percent.
Research Support: Overall, the three areas of research support asked about received slightly lower ratings than other academic services. Majorities, however, rated each aspect of research support as at least "good," with about 30 percent or more rating each as "excellent."
Technology Services: Ratings for the various technology services were widely skewed, with several receiving among the highest ratings for all individual services asked about, and others receiving among the lowest. Specifically, a majority of respondents gave ratings of "excellent" to access to the internet (73.9%), hours of operation of computer labs (53.5%) and access to up-to-date facilities (54.4%). In comparison, only one-third gave such high ratings to technology training classes (34.8%) and access to trained staff for help (32.6%). Access to trained staff for help received the lowest average ratings of all 28 services asked about.
Library Services: About 50 percent or more respondents rated three of the five library services asked about as "excellent," with highest ratings given to hours of operation (67.8%). Ratings for staff responsivenesswere slightly less positive, with 47 percent saying "excellent." Ratings for training to use the library were even lower, with slightly more than one-third saying "excellent" (36.1%). More than 20 percent of respondents rated training to use the library as "fair" (16.7%) or "poor" (4.8%).
Career-related Services: The various aspects of career services asked about received generally similar ratings, with one-third or more of respondents rating each of the career-related services as "excellent."
Employment Services: More than 40 percent of respondents rated resume preparation (43.5%) and access to career fairs, job listings, etc. (42.5%) as "excellent." About one-third rated interview preparation skills as "excellent" (32.6%).
Table 13: Academic Service Areas
| Advising |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Advising: Access to advisor |
3.19
|
47.1%
|
31.3%
|
14.8%
|
6.7%
|
| Advising: Sufficient time with advisor |
3.08
|
43.1%
|
30.6%
|
17.1%
|
9.2%
|
| Advising: Accurate info. about degree req./courses |
3.14
|
44.1%
|
33.0%
|
16.1%
|
6.8%
|
| Advising: Knowledge of policies/procedures |
3.13
|
38.6%
|
40.8%
|
15.7%
|
4.9%
|
| Academic advising overall |
3.11
|
40.4%
|
36.9%
|
16.1%
|
6.6%
|
| Research |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Research: Access to faculty involved in research |
3.04
|
32.8%
|
44.5%
|
16.2%
|
6.5%
|
| Research: Access to up-to-date facilities |
3.10
|
35.0%
|
44.7%
|
15.1%
|
5.1%
|
| Research support overall |
3.07
|
29.3%
|
52.1%
|
14.9%
|
3.7%
|
| Technology |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Tech: Access to Internet |
3.71
|
73.9%
|
23.7%
|
2.1%
|
0.3%
|
| Tech: Hours of operation for computer labs |
3.43
|
53.5%
|
37.4%
|
7.7%
|
1.4%
|
| Tech: Access to up-to-date facilities |
3.46
|
54.4%
|
38.0%
|
6.3%
|
1.2%
|
| Tech: Access to trained staff for help |
3.02
|
32.6%
|
42.0%
|
20.2%
|
5.2%
|
| Tech: Training classes |
3.09
|
34.8%
|
43.7%
|
17.1%
|
4.4%
|
| Technology services overall |
3.37
|
43.9%
|
49.8%
|
6.0%
|
0.3%
|
| Library |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Library: Hours of operation |
3.64
|
67.1%
|
29.9%
|
2.8%
|
0.3%
|
| Library: Staff responsiveness |
3.40
|
47.0%
|
46.6%
|
5.8%
|
0.7%
|
| Library: Access to databases/collections |
3.46
|
52.7%
|
41.4%
|
5.2%
|
0.7%
|
| Library: Training to use library |
3.10
|
36.1%
|
42.4%
|
16.7%
|
4.8%
|
| Library services overall |
3.45
|
49.2%
|
47.0%
|
3.6%
|
0.2%
|
| Career |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Career: Oppor. for career assistance |
3.24
|
39.0%
|
48.1%
|
11.0%
|
1.9%
|
| Career: Info. on internships, co-op, etc. |
3.21
|
40.3%
|
43.7%
|
12.3%
|
3.7%
|
| Career: Resources available to explore options |
3.17
|
36.6%
|
47.0%
|
13.5%
|
2.9%
|
| Career: Info. through Internet and other technology |
3.30
|
42.6%
|
46.2%
|
9.6%
|
1.6%
|
| Career-related services overall |
3.21
|
35.8%
|
51.2%
|
11.4%
|
1.6%
|
| Employment |
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
| Employment: Resume preparation |
3.26
|
43.5%
|
42.8%
|
10.0%
|
3.7%
|
| Employment: interview prep skills |
3.05
|
32.6%
|
46.0%
|
15.5%
|
6.0%
|
| Employment: access to career fairs, job listings, etc. |
3.28
|
42.5%
|
45.1%
|
10.0%
|
2.3%
|
| Employment search assistance overall |
3.17
|
34.4%
|
51.0%
|
11.9%
|
2.7%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Non-academic Services (Tables 14 and 15)
Students were also asked to evaluate a range of non-academic services. For those services involving interaction with staff members (secretaries, tutors, counselors, office workers, etc.), students were also instructed to evaluate the responsiveness of the staff.
Non-academic services tended to receive slightly lower ratings than academic services. However, all but one of the non-academic services asked about was rated as at least "good" by two-thirds or more respondents. Library services (43.6%), opportunities for recreational activities (41.9%), and registration process (39.3%) were most likely to be rated as "excellent." Campus food services was least likely to be rated as "excellent" (12.1%), followed by residence life programs (22.9%).
Staff associated with campus food services, university career center, and college/department placement services received slightly higher ratings than their respective services. In contrast, staff associated with opportunities for recreational activities, registration process, financial aid application/award process, financial aid disbursement process, campus counseling (not career) services, and business services/cashier/student accounts received slightly lower ratings than their respective services.
Table 14: Non-Academic Services
|
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
|
| Service Area: Library services |
3.36
|
43.6%
|
49.0%
|
6.8%
|
0.5%
|
| Service Area: Opportunities for rec activities |
3.30
|
41.9%
|
48.1%
|
8.5%
|
1.5%
|
| Service Area: Registration process |
3.23
|
39.3%
|
46.9%
|
11.7%
|
2.1%
|
| Service Area: Opps to dev leadership skills |
3.19
|
36.5%
|
48.0%
|
13.2%
|
2.3%
|
| Service Area: Univ Career Center |
3.18
|
33.3%
|
53.0%
|
12.2%
|
1.6%
|
| Service Area: Opportunities for community svc |
3.18
|
35.3%
|
50.2%
|
11.9%
|
2.6%
|
| Service Area: Campus counseling (not career) svcs |
3.14
|
34.3%
|
49.1%
|
12.9%
|
3.7%
|
| Service Area: Financial aid svcs:application/award prcss |
3.13
|
36.1%
|
45.2%
|
14.2%
|
4.4%
|
| Service Area: Financial aid svcs:disbursement process |
3.13
|
37.5%
|
42.2%
|
15.6%
|
4.7%
|
| Service Area: Campus health services |
3.12
|
34.8%
|
46.8%
|
13.8%
|
4.6%
|
| Service Area: Personal safety on campus |
3.07
|
25.0%
|
59.3%
|
13.7%
|
2.1%
|
| Service Area: College/dept placement svcs |
3.05
|
28.5%
|
52.2%
|
15.4%
|
3.9%
|
| Service Area: Business svcs/cashier/student accts |
3.05
|
23.6%
|
60.2%
|
13.5%
|
2.7%
|
| Service Area: Bookstore services and products |
3.04
|
26.1%
|
54.5%
|
16.7%
|
2.7%
|
| Service Area: Residence life programs |
2.91
|
22.9%
|
51.1%
|
20.4%
|
5.7%
|
| Service Area: Campus food services |
2.69
|
12.1%
|
51.1%
|
30.0%
|
6.7%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Table 15: Staff Responsiveness
|
Mean
|
4:
Excellent
|
3:
Good
|
2:
Fair
|
1:
Poor
|
|
| Staff Resp: Library services |
3.32
|
43.0%
|
47.0%
|
8.9%
|
1.1%
|
| Staff Resp: Univ Career Center |
3.25
|
40.8%
|
45.9%
|
10.8%
|
2.5%
|
| Staff Resp: Rec activities |
3.17
|
33.5%
|
52.4%
|
11.8%
|
2.3%
|
| Staff Resp: College/dept placement svcs |
3.12
|
33.3%
|
48.8%
|
14.1%
|
3.8%
|
| Staff Resp: Registration process |
3.12
|
33.1%
|
48.9%
|
15.1%
|
2.9%
|
| Staff Resp: Campus health services |
3.11
|
37.8%
|
42.2%
|
13.3%
|
6.7%
|
| Staff Resp: Financial aid svcs:disbursement process |
3.06
|
34.8%
|
43.9%
|
13.8%
|
7.4%
|
| Staff Resp: Campus counseling (not career) svcs |
3.06
|
33.2%
|
45.6%
|
14.9%
|
6.3%
|
| Staff Resp: Financial aid svcs:application/award prcss |
3.05
|
34.8%
|
42.8%
|
15.0%
|
7.4%
|
| Staff Resp: Personal safety on campus |
3.04
|
24.7%
|
58.4%
|
13.5%
|
3.4%
|
| Staff Resp: Bookstore services and products |
3.02
|
25.2%
|
55.0%
|
16.4%
|
3.3%
|
| Staff Resp: Business svcs/cashier/student accts |
2.98
|
21.3%
|
59.0%
|
16.0%
|
3.7%
|
| Staff Resp: Residence life programs |
2.89
|
22.4%
|
51.0%
|
19.8%
|
6.8%
|
| Staff Resp: Campus food services |
2.80
|
17.3%
|
51.6%
|
24.6%
|
6.4%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Financial Aid (Tables 16 and 17)
Slightly more than 60 percent of respondents (62.1%) said they received some sort of financial aid. The vast majority of these respondents said they were either "very satisfied" (47.6%) or "moderately satisfied" (44.6%) with the aid package they received. Majorities of those receiving aid gave positive ratings to financial aid staff. Of the different financial aid staff asked about, financial aid advisor staff were most likely to be rated as "excellent" (42.0%). Thirty percent or more of the respondents receiving aid rated reception staff (34.6%) and phone staff (31.7%) as "excellent."
Table 16: Financial Aid Received
|
Yes - Received Aid |
Satisfaction
with aid package |
|||||
|
Mean |
4: Very satisfied |
3: Moderately |
2: Moderately |
1: Very dissatisfied |
||
|
Received financial aid |
62.1% |
3.38
|
47.6%
|
44.6%
|
6.0%
|
1.9%
|
Comparisons and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Table 17: Satisfaction with Financial Aid Staff (Among those receiving financial aid, N=1,386)
|
Mean |
4: Excellent |
3: Good |
2: Fair |
1: Poor |
|
|
Rate financial aid advisor staff (N=981) |
3.23
|
42.0%
|
43.5%
|
9.5%
|
5.0%
|
|
Rate financial aid reception staff (N=1,079) |
3.10
|
34.6%
|
46.2%
|
14.0%
|
5.2%
|
|
Rate financial aid phone staff (N=957) |
3.04
|
31.7%
|
46.2%
|
16.3%
|
5.9%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Development
General Growth and Training (Table 18)
One-half or more respondents said NC State contributed "very well" to their intellectual growth (60.8%) and to their personal growth (51.8%). Respondents were less positive about the university�s contribution to their career training needs (35.9% saying "very well"). Close to one-fourth of respondents said that NC State contributed only "somewhat adequately" (17.8%) or "poorly" (5.0%) to their career training needs .
Table 18: NC State's Ability to Meet Needs
|
Mean |
4: Very Well |
3: Adequately |
2: Somewhat adequately |
1: Poorly |
|
|
NCSU meet intellectual growth needs |
3.53
|
60.8%
|
32.8%
|
5.4%
|
1.0%
|
|
NCSU meet personal growth needs |
3.37
|
51.8%
|
35.6%
|
10.1%
|
2.6%
|
|
NCSU meet career training needs |
3.08
|
35.9%
|
41.3%
|
17.8%
|
5.0%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Growth (Table 19)
Graduating seniors rated the extent to which NC State contributed to a wide range of factors related to their general education, world views, and personal development, using a scale of 1 ("not at all") to 4 ("very much"). The majority of respondents said NC State contributed "very much" to 31 of the 37 factors listed. Respondents were more likely to say NC State contributed "very much" to their development of general education and personal growth goals than to their development of world view goals.
Respondents were most likely to report that NC State contributed "very much" to the personal development goal potential for success (72.0%), closely followed by the personal development goals of personal growth (71.4%) and independence and self-reliance (70.7%), and the general education goals ability to plan and carry out projects independently (70.3%), critical analysis of ideas and information (70.0%), and enhancing analytic skills (69.4%). While still rated as at least "good" by majorities of respondents, the goals NC State was least likely to have contributed "very much" were developing a sense of public responsibility/community service (37.7%), developing an appreciation of the arts (38.0%), and development a commitment to personal health and fitness (42.0%).
Table 19: Contribution to Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Growth
| General Education Goals |
Mean
|
4:
Very Much
|
3:
Somewhat
|
2:
Very Little
|
1:
Not at all
|
| Ability to plan/carry out projects indep |
3.67
|
70.3%
|
26.8%
|
2.4%
|
0.5%
|
| Critical analysis of ideas/info |
3.67
|
70.0%
|
27.7%
|
1.9%
|
0.4%
|
| Enhancing analytic skills |
3.67
|
69.4%
|
28.6%
|
1.9%
|
0.1%
|
| Comprehension skills |
3.59
|
64.1%
|
31.8%
|
3.2%
|
0.9%
|
| Using library/internet resources for research |
3.56
|
64.8%
|
27.7%
|
6.6%
|
0.9%
|
| Science/tech influence on everyday life |
3.52
|
58.7%
|
34.8%
|
5.9%
|
0.6%
|
| Applying scientific methods |
3.50
|
59.4%
|
32.1%
|
7.3%
|
1.2%
|
| Adapt to changing technologies |
3.50
|
57.3%
|
36.5%
|
5.2%
|
1.0%
|
| Speaking skills |
3.48
|
57.4%
|
34.1%
|
7.2%
|
1.3%
|
| Developing computer skills |
3.48
|
57.9%
|
33.0%
|
8.1%
|
1.1%
|
| Listening skills |
3.47
|
56.4%
|
35.8%
|
6.5%
|
1.3%
|
| Writing skills |
3.46
|
54.9%
|
37.4%
|
6.7%
|
1.0%
|
| Understand diverse cultures/values |
3.40
|
54.2%
|
34.0%
|
9.5%
|
2.3%
|
| Using math skills |
3.39
|
53.8%
|
33.9%
|
10.1%
|
2.3%
|
| Personal Growth |
Mean
|
4:
Very Much
|
3:
Somewhat
|
2:
Very Little
|
1:
Not at all
|
| Potential for success |
3.67
|
72.0%
|
23.8%
|
3.4%
|
0.8%
|
| Personal growth |
3.65
|
71.4%
|
23.8%
|
3.7%
|
1.1%
|
| Independence and self-reliance |
3.63
|
70.7%
|
23.1%
|
4.3%
|
1.9%
|
| Ability to function as part of a team |
3.62
|
67.9%
|
27.6%
|
3.6%
|
0.9%
|
| Self-discipline |
3.58
|
66.2%
|
27.2%
|
4.8%
|
1.7%
|
| Time management |
3.57
|
65.6%
|
27.1%
|
5.4%
|
1.9%
|
| Coping with change |
3.56
|
64.2%
|
29.1%
|
5.0%
|
1.7%
|
| Value learning as a life-long process |
3.54
|
62.6%
|
30.4%
|
5.4%
|
1.6%
|
| Ability to handle stress |
3.49
|
60.6%
|
30.2%
|
6.5%
|
2.7%
|
| Ability to lead or guide others |
3.48
|
56.6%
|
35.9%
|
6.1%
|
1.4%
|
| Taking responsibility for own behavior |
3.47
|
61.3%
|
27.7%
|
7.7%
|
3.3%
|
| Sense of personal identity |
3.44
|
58.2%
|
30.8%
|
7.6%
|
3.5%
|
| Recognize/act upon ethical principles |
3.41
|
53.4%
|
36.8%
|
7.4%
|
2.4%
|
| Self-confidence |
3.41
|
56.6%
|
32.0%
|
7.6%
|
3.8%
|
| Commitment to personal health/fitness |
3.18
|
42.0%
|
38.9%
|
14.6%
|
4.5%
|
| Public responsibility/community svc |
3.13
|
37.7%
|
42.2%
|
15.6%
|
4.5%
|
| World View Goals |
Mean
|
4:
Very Much
|
3:
Somewhat
|
2:
Very Little
|
1:
Not at all
|
| Ability to work with diverse people |
3.47
|
57.6%
|
33.6%
|
7.0%
|
1.9%
|
| Developing tolerance for divergent views |
3.37
|
52.8%
|
34.6%
|
9.5%
|
3.1%
|
| Understanding world issues/problems |
3.33
|
46.5%
|
41.6%
|
10.4%
|
1.5%
|
| Appreciating gender equity |
3.30
|
50.4%
|
33.8%
|
11.0%
|
4.9%
|
| Present as it relates to history |
3.29
|
44.3%
|
42.5%
|
11.4%
|
1.8%
|
| Appreciating racial equity |
3.27
|
49.5%
|
33.5%
|
11.8%
|
5.2%
|
| Appreciation of the arts |
3.01
|
38.0%
|
33.3%
|
20.6%
|
8.1%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Employment and Extracurricular Activities
On- and Off-Campus Employment (Table 20)
More than three-fourths (77.9%) of respondents indicated that they were employed during their graduation year. About two-thirds of employed respondents worked off-campus only.
Table 20: On- and Off-Campus Employment
|
Employed during academic year? |
N |
% |
|
Yes-on campus |
301
|
13.5%
|
|
Yes-off campus |
1,135
|
51.0%
|
|
Yes-both on and off campus |
299
|
13.4%
|
|
Total Employed |
1,735
|
77.9%
|
|
No |
490
|
22.0%
|
|
Total |
2,225
|
99.9%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Why Worked for Pay (Table 21)
Respondents were asked to describe why they worked for pay during the academic year. Employed respondents were most likely to report life expenses, such as rent or groceries, as reasons for working (64.3%). One-fourth (26.8%) of employed respondents reported social or personal expenses, such as extra spending money, as reasons for working for pay during the academic year. A sizable number (15.8%) indicated they worked to get experience in their chosen field.Table 21: Reasons for Working for Pay During Academic Year (Among employed respondents, N=1,735)*
|
N
|
% |
|
| Life expenses |
1,073
|
64.3%
|
| Social/personal expenses |
447
|
26.8%
|
| School expenses |
305
|
18.3%
|
| Career experience |
264
|
15.8%
|
| Financial Aid/Work Study Requirement |
168
|
10.1%
|
| Personal fulfillment/time management |
159
|
9.5%
|
| Miscellaneous/other |
47
|
2.8%
|
| Save/invest money |
43
|
2.6%
|
| Health insurance/other benefits |
4
|
0.2%
|
Forty percent of all employed respondents reported working more than 20 hours per week. Respondents who worked on campus only generally reported working fewer average hours per week (14.3) than respondents who worked off campus only (21.5) and respondents who worked both on and off campus (28.8). Only 11 percent of those who worked on campus only, compared to 40 percent of of those who worked off campus only, and 70 percent of those who worked both on and off campus reported working more than 20 hours per week.
Table 22: Number of Hours Worked (Among employed respondents)
|
Worked
on
campus only |
Worked
off
campus only |
Worked
both
on and off campus |
Total
|
|||||
| Average hours per week |
14.33
|
21.48
|
28.75
|
21.56
|
||||
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
N
|
%
|
|
|
1-10 hours per week |
121
|
42.6%
|
157
|
14.6%
|
15
|
5.1%
|
293
|
17.7%
|
|
11-20 hours per week |
132
|
46.5%
|
487
|
45.2%
|
72
|
24.2%
|
691
|
41.7%
|
|
21-40 hours per week |
29
|
10.2%
|
346
|
32.1%
|
150
|
50.5%
|
525
|
31.7%
|
| 40 or more hours per week |
2
|
0.7%
|
87
|
8.1%
|
60
|
20.2%
|
149
|
9.0%
|
| Total |
284
|
17.1%
|
1077
|
65.0%
|
297
|
17.9%
|
1658
|
100.0%
|
Comparisons and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Job Relationship to Major (Table 23)
About one-third (32.3%) of respondents who were employed on campus were working in jobs directly related to their major. Respondents working off campus were somewhat less likely to be in a job directly related to their major (26.3%). In addition, over 40 percent of those working off-campus jobs unrelated to their major indicated this was not by choice compared to about one-fourth of those in a similar situation with an on-campus job.
Table 23: Job Relation to Academic Major
|
Job related to major? |
Directly related |
Somewhat related |
Not Related |
|
On campus job related to major? |
32.3%
|
28.8%
|
38.9%
|
|
Off campus job related to major? |
26.3%
|
25.6%
|
48.1%
|
|
If not related, by choice? |
By choice |
Not by choice |
|
On campus job (N=224) |
73.7%
|
26.3%
|
|
Off campus job (N=642) |
57.3%
|
42.7%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Slightly more than forty percent of respondents (42.4%) had a co-op, internship, practicum, or field experience while at NC State. More 70 percent of those (72.1%) said the experience made an "excellent" contribution to their personal or professional growth, and close to one-third (31.4%) said they received a job offer from their employer.
Table 24: Co-op Experience
|
Yes |
Job contribution to personal/professional growth |
|||||
|
Mean |
4: Excellent |
3: Good |
2: Fair |
1: Poor |
||
|
Major include co-op/internship/field experience/practicum? |
42. 4% |
3.66
|
72.1%
|
22.2%
|
4.8%
|
0.9%
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
Job offer from employer? (Among those with co-op etc. experience, N=927) |
31.4%
|
68.6%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Research Involvement (Table 25)
About one-fifth of respondents (19.4%) reported that they participated in research (not as a subject) with an NC State faculty member. A majority of those respondents (55.2%) said it was an "excellent" experience in terms of their personal and professional growth.
Table 25: Research Involvement
|
Yes |
Evaluate research experience |
|||||
|
Mean |
4: Excellent |
3: Good |
2: Fair |
1: Poor |
||
|
Participate in research w/ NCSU faculty? |
19.4% |
3.44
|
55.2%
|
35.1%
|
8.0%
|
1.7%
|
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Extracurricular Involvement (Table 26 and 27)
Students were asked to indicate all school-related groups in which they had been involved while at NC State. About half of respondents reported participating in organizations/clubs related to your major (49.2%). A large number of students also participated in intramural/recreational sports/club teams (39.3%), academic programs (honors, etc.) (32.0%), and honor/service/professional fraternities or sororities (22.7%).
Table 26: Extracurricular Involvement at NCSU
|
%
|
N | |
| Involved in: Org/clubs related to major |
49.2%
|
1,104 |
| Involved in: Intramural/rec sports/club team |
39.3%
|
882 |
| Involved in: Academic (Honors prgrm, etc.) |
32.0%
|
718 |
| Involved in: Honor/srvc/prof frat/sorority |
22.7%
|
508 |
| Involved in: Religious/political/issue groups |
16.1%
|
361 |
| Involved in: Social fraternity/sorority |
14.0%
|
313 |
| Involved in: Minority student groups |
8.5%
|
190 |
| Involved in: Other groups |
6.9%
|
155 |
| Involved in: Visual/performing arts/music groups |
5.5%
|
124 |
| Involved in: Residence hall council |
5.0%
|
113 |
| Involved in: Varsity athletic teams |
4.5%
|
100 |
| Involved in: Student media/publications |
3.7%
|
84 |
| Involved in: Student government |
3.4%
|
76 |
| Involved in: Union activities brd |
3.3%
|
73 |
| Involved in: ROTC |
2.2%
|
49 |
| Involved in: Student judicial board |
0.4%
|
10 |
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
Students were asked to report their attendance at various NC State concerts, performances, or exhibits. Forty percent of respondents reported that they had attended a Univeristy Theatre performance (39.7%), 30 percent had attended a Gallery of Art and Design exhibit (30.5%), and about one-fourth had attended a Music Department concert (26.4%).
Table 27: Attendance at Concerts/Performances/Exhibits
|
%
|
N | |
| Attended University Theatre performance(s) |
39.7%
|
890 |
| Attended Gallery of Art and Design exhibit(s) |
30.5%
|
683 |
| Attended Music Department concert(s) |
26.4%
|
593 |
| Attended Center Stage performance(s) |
15.4%
|
345 |
| Attended Dance Program concert(s) |
11.5%
|
258 |
| Attended Crafts Center exhibit(s) |
8.8%
|
198 |
Comparisons
and Frequencies: Gender/Ethnicity, College
Back to Top
For
more information on the 2004-2005 Graduating Senior Survey reports contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Campus Box 7002
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27965-7002
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: October, 2005
Download a Microsoft Word Version of this document.
Return to 2004-2005 Graduating Senior Survey Table of Contents Page