COUNSELING CENTER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND. Testing, Research, Data Processing Division

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1 COUNSELING CENTER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND Testing, Research, Data Processing Division Margaretha S. Lucas Ryan D. Duffy Elizabeth A. Klingaman Kevin London Cristina M. Risco A Profile of the University of Maryland, College Park Incoming First-Year Student Class,

2 Table of Contents Overview and Highlights 3 Introduction 4 Demographics 4 Gender 4 Sexual Orientation 4 Racial Identity 5 Ethnic Identity 5 Parent/Guardian Educational Attainment 5 Parental Annual Income 5 Residence before College 6 Disability Identification 6 Generation Status 6 Primary Language 7 Religious Preference 7 College Expectations and Preparation 7 Maryland as College Choice 7 High School Class Rank 7 Type of High School 8 Perceptions of Academic Abilities 8 Degree Aspirations 8 Life Satisfaction 9 Career Development 11 Major Decision Status 13 Help Seeking 13 Cross Cultural Interaction Skills and Attitudes towards Cross Cultural Relationships 14 Ethnic Development 16 Attitudes towards Sexual Orientation Minorities 17 Alcohol Consumption 17 References 19 2

3 OVERVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS This profile was compiled using responses from students (N=2,432) entering their first year at the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall of Men and women were equally represented among the respondents. Students reported their racial identities as follows: White (59.1%), Asian American (13%), Black/African American (10.4%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (1.5%), and Native Hawaiian/other Asian Pacific Islander (.5%). Seventyeight percent of students self-identified their sexual orientation as exclusively heterosexual. Regarding religion, most students (41%) identified as Christian, 13% identified as Jewish, and 10% as either atheist or agnostic. Seventy-four percent (74%) of the fathers/second guardians of the respondents had earned a bachelor s degree or higher, and this was the case for 69% of the mothers/primary guardians. Eight percent (8%) of students reported the combined annual income of their parents as under $50,000 and the majority of participants (52%) reported a combined parental annual income between $50,000 and $199,999. Approximately 8% of the students reported having a disability. Sixty-one percent (61%) of students reported Maryland was their first choice college. Seventy-four percent (74%) of students were in the top quarter of their high school class. Overall, incoming first year students appear to be generally happy with their lives as 60% agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with their lives and that so far they have gotten what they have wanted out of life. Students also appear to be decided in their career choice with over 80% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they have an occupational field in mind that they want to work in, and almost all students view their careers as an important part of their lives. This finding complements the fact that most students (67.7%) tend to have either decided on a major by considering options or have always known their major choice. In considering the types of careers students wish to pursue, most students (76.6%) aspire to complete more than just a bachelor s degree, suggesting a high level of educational expectations for incoming first-year students. A measure of ethnic identity was used to gauge students degree of ethnic identity exploration and commitment. The majority of students had at least a slight to moderate degree of affirmation, belonging, commitment, and behaviors associated with their ethnic group membership. Black/African American students had the strongest exploration of and commitment to an ethnic identity, followed closely by Asian American students, then Latina/o students, and finally White students. Eighteen percent (18%) of incoming first year students indicated an attitude that one's in-group dominates and is superior to out-groups while at least seventy eight (78%) indicated egalitarian attitudes. Two to seven percent (2-7%) of first year students indicated discomfort and irritation while interacting with members from other racial groups, while a significantly higher percentage (33%) indicated that it is unlikely that they will marry outside of their race. Further, 66% and 77% of incoming first-year students indicated that they would support a friend who they found out was gay. Roughly 33% of students endorse an avoidant conflict style and 37% to 54% of students endorsed a dominant coping style. Eighty percent (80%) or more students assessed themselves as strong or very strong in the following areas: Listening effectively, using electronic information resources, finding needed information, and using information responsibly. Also, 65-76% of first year students felt they were adequate in writing, analyzing complex issues, communicating effectively, writing a persuasive argument, revising one s thinking based on new information and producing visual displays of information. Fewer than 50% of students assessed themselves as 3

4 strong are the following areas: Seeing relationships, similarities, and differences among ideas, applying what you learn to other situations, using a spreadsheet to perform data analysis and framing research questions. Incoming First-year students were in support of seeking counseling for career related concerns (71%), but only 17% for personal and 2% for alcohol and drug concerns. A Profile of the University of Maryland, College Park Incoming First-Year Student Class, INTRODUCTION This student profile was generated from the responses of 2,432 (62 % of the incoming class) first-year students who completed the University New Student Census during spring and summer 2007 orientation times. Responses are summarized under the following headings: Demographics; College Expectations and Preparation; Life Satisfaction; Career Development; Help-seeking; Cross-cultural Interaction Skills and Attitudes Toward Cross-Cultural Relationships; Ethnic Development; Attitudes towards Sexual Orientation Minorities; Alcohol Consumption. DEMOGRAPHICS Gender. An approximately equal proportion of men (39.6%) and women (44.3%) responded to the survey. Sixteen percent (16.1% exactly) did not report their gender. Sexual Orientation. Respondents were asked to self-report their sexual identities. Approximately 78% self-identified as exclusively heterosexual. Another 3% indicated they were mostly heterosexual, bisexual (.7%), mostly Lesbian/Gay (.2%), or Exclusively 4

5 Lesbian/Gay (.5%). Two percent indicated that they would prefer not to state a sexual orientation and 16% did not respond to this item. Racial Identity. Participants reported their racial identities as follows: White (59.1%), Asian (13%), Black/African American (10.4%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (1.5%), and Native Hawaiian/other Asian Pacific Islander (.5%). Of the Asian participants, the largest groups represented were Chinese (34.3%), Asian Indian (21.3%), and Korean (22.9%). Ethnic Identity. In a separate item, 5.6% of the respondents identified as Spanish/Hispanic/Latina/o. Of the students identifying as Spanish/Hispanic/Latina/o, approximately sixteen percent (15.7%) identified as Puerto Rican. Further, 9% each identified as Mexican, Mexican American, Chicane/o or as Cuban. The remaining 66.4% identified as persons from other Spanish/Hispanic/Latina/o backgrounds. Parent/Guardian Educational Attainment. Participants were asked about the educational attainment of both their father/2 nd guardian and their mother/1 st guardian. Fathers/2 nd guardians were reported as having earned a bachelor s degree or higher at a somewhat higher rate (73.7%) than mothers/1 st guardians (69%). For fathers/2 nd guardians, 20% had not earned an associate s degree, and similarly, approximately 21% of mothers/1 st guardians were reported as not having earned an associate s degree or higher. Thus, one fifth of the respondents reported one or both parents as having not received a college degree. Parental Annual Income. Two percent (2%) of participants reported a parental annual income less than $25,000 and 6.4% reported a parental income under $50,000. The majority of participants (approximately 52.3%) indicated a parental annual income between $50,000 and $199,999; specifically, 18.8% reported a parental annual income in the $50,000 to $99,999 range, 21.6% in the $100,000 to $149,999 range, and 11.9% in the $150,000 to $199,999 range. 5

6 Another 11.8% of the respondents indicated that their parents income was over $200,000 annually. The remaining participants either did not know their parents annual income (22.5%) or did not respond (4.9%). Residence before College. The majority of participants (76.9%) reported living most of their life in a suburban area. Another 9.2% reported living in a small town, 9% an urban area, and 4.3% a rural area. Disability Identification. Approximately eight percent (7.7%) of the respondents indicated they had some sort of disability. Table 1 shows the distribution by types of disability the participants identified themselves as having. Table 1: Disability Identification Disability Type Percentage None of the Disabilities Listed 68.2 Deaf/Hard of Hearing.5 Blind/Severe Visual Impairment.2 Learning Disabled.8 Medical/Other Disability 1.1 Physical Disability.1 Attention Deficit Disorder 1.7 Attn. Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.7 Psychological 1 Other 1.6 Generation Status. An item on the census asked students to indicate the generation status of their parents in the United States. The majority of respondents (71.6%) indicated their 6

7 mother/1 st guardian was born in the United States. Similarly, most participants (71.1 %) indicated their father/2 nd guardian was born in the United States. Primary Language. Participants were asked to indicate the languages spoken at their home on a regular basis. Approximately 79% indicated English as the primary language spoken at their home. Another 14.3% indicated English and another language spoken at their home. Seven percent (7%) indicated the primary language spoken at their home is a language other than English. Religious Preference. When asked their religious preferences, approximately 41 % responded Christian, including 20% identifying as Catholic and another 21% as Protestant. Thirteen percent (13%) reported they were Jewish and 10% replied agnostic or atheist. Respondents also identified themselves as Buddhist (.6%), Hindu (1.9%), and Islamic (1.3%). Another 3.7% identified themselves as other, 8% as having no preference, and 4.1% as not knowing their religious preference. COLLEGE EXPECTATIONS AND PREPARATION University of Maryland as College Choice. Over 61% of the respondents indicated that Maryland was their first choice of college. Another 24% reported Maryland was their second choice. Fourteen percent (14%) named Maryland their third choice or lower. High School Class Rank. In terms of high school rank, 24% of the respondents indicated they graduated in the top 5% of their class, 25% in the top 10%, and 25% in the top quarter of the class. Another 8% were in the top half of their class, and.5% was in the bottom half. Approximately seventeen percent (16.6%) did not know their high school rank. 7

8 Type of High School. The majority of participants (82.4%) graduated from a public high school. Another 13.7% graduated from a private/religious high school, 3.2% from a nonreligious private high school, and.3% were home schooled. Perceptions of Academic Abilities. A large percentage of students rated their abilities of listening, writing, communicating, and analyzing complex issues as strong or very strong. The percentages ranged from 72% to 85%. Similarly, using a computer to find and use information was reported as a strong ability by approximately 80% of the incoming first year students. Using quantitative methods, understanding research designs, and interpreting graphs and tables was reported as a strong or very strong ability by 60% to 75 % of the students. On the other hand, only 37% rated themselves as strong on seeing relationships, similarities and differences, 36% on applying what you learn in other situations, and 39% saw them as strong or very strong in framing research questions. Finally, most students (68%) considered it likely that they would get tutoring help while at Maryland, while 32% considered it unlikely that they would seek such help. Degree Aspirations. In order to understand the academic aspirations of incoming students, they were asked, What is the highest academic degree that you ultimately intend to obtain. Students were presented with nine options: Do not expect to complete a degree, Associates, Bachelor s, Master s, Doctoral, Law, Medical, Divinity, and I don t know. Of the students who knew what type of degree they planned to pursue, most (76.6%) planned on completing more than just a bachelor s degree. This large number may speak to the high expectations most students have of themselves with regard to their academic achievement. Additionally, this may also be representative of the pressures many incoming students face in terms of the education level they need to achieve in order to be successful. 8

9 LIFE SATISFACTION Participants were asked to rate their current level of life satisfaction based on a five-item scale developed by Diener, Emmons, Larson, & Griffin (1985). As seen in Table 1, on the whole, incoming first-year students feel satisfied with their lives. Specifically, over 60% agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with their lives and that so far they have gotten what they have wanted out of their lives. While many sources have cited the increase of psychopathology and depression amongst incoming college students (Adlaf, Gliksman, Demers, & Newton- Taylor, 2001; Benton, Robertson, Tseng, Newton, & Benton, 2003), these findings suggest that most incoming first year students at the University of Maryland tend to be satisfied with their lives. However, respondents were less likely to agree or strongly agree with the statements, In most ways my life are ideal (40.3%) and If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing (39.7%). While students tend to be satisfied with their lives, they may be less likely to view them as perfect. It appears that many incoming first-year students are able to take a realistic view of their current life situation in seeing both positive and negative aspects. 9

10 Table 2: Response Frequency on Life Satisfaction Items Question % Response Rate Strongly Slightly Slightly Strongly Disagree Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Agree Agree 1. In most ways my life is close to my ideal The conditions of my life are excellent I am satisfied with my life So far I have gotten the important things I want in life If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing

11 CAREER DEVELOPMENT The degree to which incoming students were decided and comfortable in their career choices, their levels of vocational self clarity, the degree to which career choice was important to them, degree of career indecisiveness, and their knowledge of occupations and training, were measured by the 16-item Career Decision Profile (Jones, 1989; Table 3). In general, it appears that students have decided on the careers they want to pursue, with over 80% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they have occupational field in mind that I want to work in. However, 41.6% of students agree to strongly agree that they are not at all worried about their career choice, suggesting that while incoming students may have decided on a career, they continue to be somewhat worried about actually making those decisions. The degree to which students have a clear view of their future career and occupations and training also seems to be substantially lower than how decided they are on their career. For example, 54.4% of incoming first year students agree or strongly agree with wanting to know more about what jobs fit their personalities. Additionally, 36% agree or strongly agree that they need to have a clearer idea of their abilities, major strengths, and weaknesses. In many ways, it is surprising that these numbers are not even higher considering these are all students who have yet to start college and are likely still in the process of determining their career and life goals. Overall, these statistics do suggest that a substantial portion of incoming first year students are still in the discernment process concerning their career goals and may be in need of support and guidance. The group of students that reports general levels of indecisiveness may especially need support and guidance of university student affairs professionals. The table shows that 29.7% of 11

12 the incoming first year students agree or strongly agree that they frequently have difficulty making decisions and 15.2% agree or strongly agree that they would rather have others make decisions for them. This group of students may have particular difficultly making career decisions and other life decisions and may seek counseling. Finally, most students feel that their career is important to them, as only 4.4% of the incoming first year students agree or strongly agree that their future work or career is not important to them right now. This suggests that almost all incoming first year students are cognizant of what work means in their lives and even at this early stage of college, view their future career as significant. Table 3: Frequency of Response on Career Decision Profile Question % Response Rate Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree 1. I have an occupational field in mind that I want to work in I have decided on the occupation I want to enter I feel at ease and comfortable with where I am in making a career decision I'm NOT worried about my career choice I wish I knew which occupations best fit my personality I do not feel I know enough about the occupations that I am considering I know what my interests and abilities are, but I am unsure how to find occupations that fit them I need to have a clearer idea of what my interests are I need to have a clearer idea of my abilities, my major strengths and weaknesses I feel relieved if someone else makes a decision for me I am an indecisive person; I delay deciding and have difficulty making up my mind I frequently have difficulty making decisions I don't need to make a career choice at this time My future work or career is NOT that important to me right now I don't have strong interests in any occupational field

13 16. I need information about educational programs to enter Major Decision Status. Incoming first year students were asked to describe where their current status is in choosing an academic major. The question read as follows: Which of the following best describes your current status regarding a major. I have Students were provided with four answer options: Absolutely no idea what I would like to major in, A couple ideas of interest, but have not decided on a major, Decided on a major after considering several options, and, Always known what my major will be and I am not planning to change it. Most incoming first year students (67.7%) tend to have either decided on a major by considering options or have always decided a long time ago. Twenty nine percent are still considering options. Additionally, only a few incoming first year students (3.5%) are completely a blank slate with regards to their major decision. These results suggest that on the whole, incoming first year students only rarely come into college with no idea what to major in and more often are likely to be decided on a specific academic major. HELP SEEKING When asked whether they would seek help with career problems, most incoming first year students (86%) responded that they would likely consider counseling regarding their career plans, while 14% reported that they were unlikely to seek career counseling. In contrast, when asked about seeking counseling for personal concerns, about 16% of incoming first year students anticipated seeking such counseling, while 84% thought it was unlikely that they would seek personal counseling. 13

14 CROSS CULTURAL INTERACTION SKILLS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS CROSS CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS Five percent (5%) of incoming first year students disagreed that Learning to understand people different from myself has been an important part of my education. Eighteen percent (18%) were neutral and 78% agreed or strongly agreed. The belief that exposure to different perspectives promote learning was agreed with by 93% of respondents, while 6% were neutral around this issue. One percent disagreed that exposure to different perspectives promote learning. Students rated themselves strong or very strong on cross cultural interaction skills such as understanding diverse cultural, political and intellectual views, working effectively in a team with people different from you, adapting successfully to cultural expectations different from your own, demonstrating knowledge of other cultures, and articulating differences between your culture and another culture. The percentages ranged from 76% to 86%. We examined students attitudes toward inequity issues by assessing their overall view of cross cultural relationships. Most, but not all, showed an intolerance of inequality. About 13% of respondents indicated that It is OK if some groups have more of a chance in life than others, 18% responded neutrally and 69% disagreed. Eleven percent of participants indicated that Some groups of people are simply inferior to other groups, 14% responded neutrally and 75% disagreed. Eighteen percent of respondents indicated that, To get ahead in life, it is sometimes necessary to step on other groups, 22% responded neutrally and 60% disagreed. Furthermore, 14

15 83% of respondents indicated that It would be good if groups could be equal, 12 % responded neutrally and 5% disagreed. Similarly, 78% of respondents indicated that No one group should dominate in society, 15% responded neutrally and 7% disagreed. When measuring the degree to which students want to discuss differences with others, We found that 32% of respondents reported, I attempt to avoid being put on the spot and try to keep my conflict with others to myself, 30% responded neutrally and 38% disagreed. About 16% of respondents indicated that, I usually avoid open discussions of my differences with others, 26% responded neutrally and 58% disagreed. Thirty-seven percent of respondents indicated that, I try to stay away from disagreements with others, 29% responded neutrally and 34% disagreed. Thirty-three percent of respondents indicated that, I try to keep my disagreements with others to myself in order to avoid hard feelings, 29% responded neutrally and 38% disagreed. When measuring the degree to which students wanted to use their influence and expertise, we found the following: Forty one percent (41%) indicated that, I use my influence to get my ideas accepted, 37% were neutral and 22% disagreed. Twenty four percent (24%) indicated that I use my authority to make decisions in my favor, 37% responded neutrally, and 39% disagreed. Fifty-four percent (54%) of students indicated that, I use my expertise to make a decision in my favor, 31% were neutral and 15% disagreed. Lastly, 37% of respondents indicated that I use my power to win in a competitive situation, 37% responded neutrally and 26% disagreed. When measuring cross- racial interactions, 7% of respondents indicated I often feel irritated by persons of a different race, 16% were neutral and 77% disagreed. Two percent (2%) of respondents indicated that Getting to know someone of a different race is generally an 15

16 uncomfortable experience, 10% were neutral and 88% disagreed. Four percent (4%) of respondents indicated that I am only at ease with persons of my own race, 8% were neutral, and 88% disagreed. However, 33% of respondents indicated that I am NOT likely to marry someone of a race different from my own, 27% were neutral, and 40% disagreed. ETHNIC DEVELOPMENT Using the Multi group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, Dennis, & Osorio, 2006; Roberts, Phinney, Masse, Chen, Roberts, & Romero, 1999) we measured the students sense of affirmation, belonging, commitment, and behaviors related to their ethnic identity exploration and commitment. Example items on this scale include, I think a lot about how my life will be affected by my ethnic group membership, and I understand pretty well what my ethnic group membership means to me. On a scale from 1 to 5, the mean and standard deviation for all students were 3.72 and.62, respectively, indicating slight to moderate degree of affirmation, belonging, commitment, and behaviors associated with students ethnic group membership. When broken down by racial identity, Black/African American students had the highest scores (M = 3.86, SD =.64), followed by Asian American students (M = 3.72, SD =.62), Latina/o students (M = 3.68, SD =.72), and White/Caucasian students (M = 3.26, SD =.61). When testing for significant differences among the ethnic groups we found that Black/African American, Asian American, and Latina/o students had statistically significantly higher scores on the ethnic identity measure than White/Caucasian students. This is consistent with previous ethnic identity research, which indicates that European American adolescents and 16

17 college students generally score lower on ethnic identity measures than their peers of other racial backgrounds (Phinney & Alipuria, 1990; Phinney, Dennis, & Osorio, 2006; Roberts, Phinney, Masse, Chen, Roberts, & Romero, 1999). However, it is important to note that the effect size for this difference is classified by Cohen s (1992) criteria as small. Race M SD n Black/African American Asian American Latina/o White/Caucasian Table 4: Ethnic Identity Scores of Incoming First-Year Students, by Race (N = 1732) Note. Scale ranges 1-5 ATTITUDES TOWARDS SEXUAL ORIENTATION MINORITIES Six percent (6%) of respondents indicated I would probably NOT be able to continue my friendship with a friend whom I discovered was homosexual, 17% were neutral, and 77% disagreed. Fifty-five percent (55%) of respondents indicated that Relationships between people of the same gender are as acceptable as they are for heterosexual couples, 25% were neutral, and 21% disagreed. Finally, sixty-six (66%) of respondents indicated that If I found out someone I knew was gay, lesbian, or bisexual, I would support them, 26% were neutral, and 8% disagreed. 17

18 ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION To assess students use of alcohol prior to coming to college, students were asked to state how frequently over the past year they have consumed alcohol and also how frequently over the past year they have drank five or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting. Students were asked to respond to these questions with one of five options: Never, A few times per year, A few times per month, A few times per week, and Daily. A large percentage of students (76%) reported to have had very little contact with alcohol prior to coming to college. Additionally, for those students who have consumed alcohol, only a very small percentage (3.8%) report doing so a few times a week or more. Finally, over two thirds of the students (68%) report never engaging in binge drinking behavior over the past year, suggesting that many students may have little experience in this area which is often viewed as a central component of college life. Consistent with these findings, responding to an item asking if they would consider counseling for drugs/alcohol while at Maryland, 98% of the participants anticipated being unlikely to seek such counseling, while 2% considered it likely. 18

19 References Adlaf, E.M., Gliksman, L., Demers, A. & Newton-Taylor, B. (2001). The prevalence of elevated psychological distress among Canadian undergraduates: Findings from the 1998 Canadian campus survey. Journal of American College Health, 50, 67. Benton, S.A., Robertson, J.M., Tseng, W.C., Newton, F.B., & Benton, S.L., (2003) Changes in counseling center client problems across thirteen years. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 34, Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, G. (1985). Satisfaction with life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, Jones, L. K. (1989). Measuring a three-dimensional construct of career indecision among college students: a revision of the vocational decision scale: The career decision profile. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36, Phinney, J.S. and Alipuria, L.L. (1990). Ethnic identity in college students from four ethnic groups. Journal of Adolescence, 13, Phinney, J. S.; Dennis, J., Osorio, S. (2006). Reasons to attend college among ethnically diverse college students. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 12(2), Robert E. Roberts, Jean S. Phinney, Louise C. Masse, Y. Richard Chen, Catherine R. Roberts & Andrea Romero. The Structure of Ethnic Identity of Young Adolescents from Diverse Ethnocultural Groups 19