Goodyear, Don. FRESHMEN SURVEY. FALL 1985. College of the Sequoias, Visalia, CA. Office of Institutional Research. Jan 1986. 21 p. (ED269078)

In 1985, College of the Sequoias (COS) was asked by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (conducted jointly by the American Council on Education and the University of California, Los Angeles) to participate in a survey of incoming freshmen for the fall 1985 semester. During the summer counseling session, 259 new COS freshmen were interviewed. A comparison of COS and nationwide findings revealed that COS students differed substantially from other two-year college students in the following areas: (1) ethnicity; (2) average grade in high school; (3) academic rank in high school; (4) miles from home to college; (5) estimated parental income; (6) dependency status for 1985; (7) activities engaged in during the year; (8) highest degree planned; (9) current religious preference; (10) met or exceeded recommended years of study in English, mathematics, foreign languages, computer science, and art or music; (11) self-assessment of drive to achieve, emotional health, leadership ability, self-confidence, and writing ability; (12) reasons for going to college; (13) influences on college choice; (14) number of colleges applied to for admission; (15) number of college acceptances this year; (16) probable field of study; (17) probable career occupation; (18) father's and mother's education, occupation, and religious preference; (19) sources for educational expenses; (20) financial aid which must be repaid; (21) concern about financing college; (22) planned and preferred residence during fall term; (23) students' perceptions of their chances for success; (24) essential or very important objectives; and (25) political orientation. The study report includes data tables contrasting COS findings with results from all two-year colleges and public two-year colleges. In addition, responses to COS's supplemental survey items regarding degree goals, job-preparation training needs, planned use of COS services, evaluation and reputation of COS vocational programs, information sources, eligibility for admission to a state university, adequacy of information on COS programs and services, preferences regarding college orientation, and reasons for attending COS. (AYC)