Freshmen Expectations About College Show Uncertainty

In the summer before the 2014-2015 academic year, 33 percent of incoming freshmen completed a survey about their experiences in high school and expectations for college. Some highlights are below:

• 45 percent said they spent 11 hours or more per week preparing for class during their last year of high school; whereas 83 percent expected to spend that much time during the coming school year.
• 67 percent said they expected to discuss their academic performance with faculty members either often or very often; only 13 percent said they expected that interacting with faculty members would not be difficult.
• 80 percent said they expected to work with other students on course projects or assignments either often or very often; only 33 percent felt very prepared to work effectively with others.
• 82 percent said they earned a C or better in pre-calculus; only 16 percent felt very prepared to analyze numerical and statistical information.
• 16 percent and 18 percent, respectively, felt they were very prepared to either write or speak clearly and effectively; only 1 percent felt not at all prepared in these areas.
• 19 percent felt very prepared to think critically and analytically in their academic work and learn effectively on their own; 1 percent or less felt they were not at all prepared in these areas.

The full report can be found online.