The majority of freshmen considered parental participation in their college careers to be the “right amount.” Specifically, 84 percent of freshmen reported that they had the “right amount” of parental involvement in their decision to go to college. About 80 percent of the students surveyed said they had the “right amount” of feedback from their parents in choosing their college. When it came to dealing with college officials, 77 percent of respondents said that they had the “right amount” of support from their parents.
In the realm of social behavior, the survey reported that attitudes favoring racial diversity and tolerance increased 2 percent this year. Nearly 37 percent of students expressed the personal goal of helping to promote racial understanding. Not surprisingly, the figure is higher among students at Black colleges and universities, where 64 percent said it is an essential or very important personal goal.
Interest in the global community increased as well. When this item was first placed on the questionnaire in 2002, following 9/11, 43.2 percent of students indicated that they had an interest in improving their understanding of other countries and cultures; in 2007 that group became a majority, at 52.3 percent.
“It is encouraging to see more students interested in the global community,” says Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. “Our shared futures will depend on the next generation of college students having a much more sophisticated understanding of global interconnections than previous generations.”
There are currently 0 comments on this story.
Click here to post a comment
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
