2014 SONS Transfer: Results and Summary: Part 2

Background

Concern About Cost

1. How concerned are you about paying for your undergraduate education NEXT YEAR? (Next year is defined as Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.)

Not concerned	122	16%
Somewhat concerned	223	30%
Concerned	186	25%
Very concerned	226	30%

2. Which of the following have you done in the past year or do you plan to do this year to meet anticipated college expenses?

Applied for financial aid	554
	73%
Asked financial aid office to reevaluate my application	154
	20%
Plan to buy fewer books than listed as required, to buy cheaper used books, to read books on reserve	426
	56%
Will take more courses per term to complete on-time or early	236
	31%
Will take fewer courses so I can work for pay	73
	10%
Will accept AP or similar credit instead of taking the course	84
	11%
Will take or have taken a community college course because community college courses are cheaper	317
	42%
Will take or have taken an online course because online courses are cheaper	40
	5%
Worked for pay to save for college	340
	45%
Plan to work for pay at least my first year	236
	31%
Requested a triple to save money	71
	9%
Will live at home to reduce expenses	112
	15%
Don't expect cost to be a significant problem	112
	15%
Other (please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	62
	8%

3a. Have you heard about the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which ensures that scholarships and grants will cover fees for U.S. students from families making less than $80,000 a year, with financial need?

Yes	444	59%
No	308	41%

3b. Have you heard about the Berkeley Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP), a new financial aid program available to families in the $80,000 - $150,000 annual income range?

Yes	330	44%
No	419	56%

3c. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement: Given the grants and scholarships, if any, that you receive, the total cost of attending UC Berkeley is manageable.

Strongly disagree	53	7%
Disagree	73	10%
Somewhat disagree	100	13%
Somewhat agree	204	27%
Agree	196	26%
Strongly agree	122	16%

3d. Since you have come to UC Berkeley, have you encountered a situation where lack of financial resources kept you from having basic student necessities (housing, food, books, healthcare, etc)?

Yes	238	32%
No	511	68%

3d. Please select from the following list all basics you have foregone as a result of finances.

Housing	82
	35%
Food	145
	61%
Books	146
	62%
Health care	61
	26%
Other (Please explain below) [Contact OPA for more information]	37
	16%

4. Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about the impact of the cost to attend on your educational experience at Cal?

[Contact OPA for more information]

5. When did you come to the United States to live?

I was born in the U.S.	462	62%
1994 or earlier	15	2%
1995	6	1%
1996	5	1%
1997	8	1%
1998	7	1%
1999	9	1%
2000	4	1%
2001	4	1%
2002	6	1%
2003	5	1%
2004	3	0%
2005	4	1%
2006	6	1%
2007	15	2%
2008	19	3%
2009	16	2%
2010	39	5%
2011	53	7%
2012	59	8%
2013 or later	1	0%

6. When did you learn to speak English?

English is my native language	400	54%
Before I was 5 years old	92	12%
When I was 5 years old	46	6%
When I was 6-10 years old	71	10%
When I was 11-15 years old	71	10%
After turning 16 years old	63	9%

7. To the best of your knowledge, where were your parents born?

	In the U.S.	Outside the U.S.	Do not know
Your mother	311	432	2
	42%	58%	0%
Your father	302	427	10
	41%	58%	1%

To the best of your knowledge, how many of your grandparents were born outside of the United States?

Zero	204	28%
One	35	5%
Two	89	12%
Three	30	4%
Four	384	52%

8. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother...

In the United States?

None (did not receive formal education)	64	9%
Less than high school diploma	28	4%
High school diploma	126	18%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	67	10%
Bachelor's degree	99	14%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	12	2%
Master's degree	60	9%
Professional degree	3	0%
Doctorate	7	1%
Do not know	8	1%
Not applicable	228	33%

In a foreign country?

None (did not receive formal education)	21	3%
Less than high school diploma or equivalent	92	15%
High school diploma or equivalent	113	18%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	37	6%
Bachelor's degree or equivalent	93	15%
Post-baccalaureate certificate or equivalent	4	1%
Master's degree or equivalent	14	2%
Professional degree or equivalent	6	1%
Doctorate or equivalent	5	1%
Do not know	12	2%
Not applicable	223	36%

9. What is the highest level of education reached by your father...

In the United States?

None (did not receive formal education)	54	8%
Less than high school diploma	30	4%
High school diploma	140	20%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	44	6%
Bachelor's degree	82	12%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5	1%
Master's degree	59	8%
Professional degree	13	2%
Doctorate	23	3%
Do not know	26	4%
Not applicable	223	32%

In a foreign country?

None (did not receive formal education)	30	5%
Less than high school diploma or equivalent	67	11%
High school diploma or equivalent	92	15%
Associate's or postsecondary certificate	37	6%
Bachelor's degree or equivalent	89	14%
Post-baccalaureate certificate or equivalent	6	1%
Master's degree or equivalent	30	5%
Professional degree or equivalent	6	1%
Doctorate or equivalent	6	1%
Do not know	31	5%
Not applicable	223	36%

Which of the following best describes your social class when you were growing up?

Wealthy	8	1%
Upper-middle or professional-middle	88	12%
Middle-class	252	34%
Working-class	223	30%
Low-income or poor	171	23%

10. Are you a financially independent student? Some students have no contact with their parents, and therefore cannot use their tax information for filing the FAFSA. If you find yourself in this situation and have been formally declared an independent student, then please answer yes.

Yes	277	37%
No	466	63%

11. To the best of your knowledge, which category includes the total annual combined income of your parent(s) before taxes in 2013? (seen by those who respond "No" to above financially independent item)

Less than $10,000	41	6%
$10,000 to $19,999	53	7%
$20,000 to $34,999	57	8%
$35,000 to $49,999	42	6%
$50,000 to $64,999	44	6%
$65,000 to $79,999	42	6%
$80,000 to $99,999	43	6%
$100,000 to $124,999	42	6%
$125,000 to $149,999	26	4%
$150,000 to $199,999	32	4%
$200,000 or more	18	3%
Not applicable - independent student	277	38%
Skipped branch-determining question about independent status	8	1%

11. To the best of your knowledge, which category includes your household's total annual combined income before taxes in 2013? (seen by those who respond "Yes" to above financially independent item)

Less than $10,000	108	14%
$10,000 to $19,999	58	8%
$20,000 to $34,999	48	6%
$35,000 to $49,999	17	2%
$50,000 to $64,999	15	2%
$65,000 to $79,999	4	1%
$80,000 to $99,999	10	1%
$100,000 to $124,999	8	1%
$125,000 to $149,999	3	0%
$150,000 to $199,999	5	1%
$200,000 or more	0	0%
Not applicable - dependent student	466	62%
Skipped branch-determining question about independent status	8	1%

12. What is your religious preference?

Spiritual but not associated with a major religion	107	15%
Not particularly spiritual	85	12%
No preference	96	13%
Agnostic	64	9%
Athiest	79	11%
Baptist	6	1%
Buddhist	26	4%
Christian Church (Disciples)	65	9%
Eastern Orthodox	6	1%
Episcopalian	0	0%
HIndu	5	1%
Jewish	10	1%
Lutheran	5	1%
Methodist	3	0%
Mormon	0	0%
Muslim	16	2%
Presbyterian	13	2%
Quaker	0	0%
Roman Catholic	71	10%
Seventh Day Adventist	2	0%
Sikh	1	0%
Taoist	0	0%
Unitarian/Universalist	1	0%
United Church of Christ/Congreational	1	0%
Other Christian	38	5%
Other Religion	14	2%

13. What is your sexual orientation?

Bisexual	54	7%
Gay/Lesbian	31	4%
Heterosexual	560	77%
Questioning/Unsure	8	1%
Self-identified Queer	13	2%
Decline to state	50	7%
Other (Please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	15	2%

14. With which gender do you identify?

Woman	388	52%
Man	332	45%
Decline to state	12	2%
Other (Please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	8	1%

15. Do you identify as transgender?

Yes	5	1%
No	732	99%

16. How would you characterize your political orientation?

Very liberal	103	14%
Liberal	214	29%
Slightly liberal	123	17%
Moderate or middle of the road	215	30%
Slightly conservative	39	5%
Conservative	26	4%
Very conservative	7	1%

21. Where will you be living this term?

Clark Kerr Campus	11	2%
Foothill	13	2%
Bowles	0	0%
Stern	9	1%
Unit 1	28	4%
Unit 2 (excluding Wada Apartments)	58	8%
Unit 3 (including Beverly Cleary Hall)	33	5%
Channing-Bowditch Apartments	8	1%
Martinez Commons	25	3%
University Village Albany (family housing)	33	5%
Wada Apartments	29	4%
Living with family	44	6%
Sorority or fraternity	0	0%
Co-op Housing	18	3%
Living off-campus in a house or apartment	411	56%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	14	2%

18. How far from campus do you live?

On campus or less than 1 mile	341	46%
1 mile to 2 miles	138	19%
3 miles to 10 miles	99	14%
11 to 20 miles	78	11%
21 miles or more	80	11%

19. With whom do you live?

No one. I live alone	54	7%
I share an apartment or dorm room with at least one other Cal student	400	55%
I share an apartment with peers who are not Cal students	68	9%
I live with my spouse or domestic partner (with or without others)	84	12%
I live with at least one parent	60	8%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	66	9%

20. What is the composition of your residence hall or household while attending Berkeley this term?

	1	2	3	4	5 or more
College students or other adults (count yourself as 1)	100	179	156	95	167
	14%	26%	22%	14%	24%

	0 (Zero)	1	2	3	4	5 or more
Children or teenagers under the age of 18 (do NOT count yourself as 1)	555	54	27	10	4	5
	85%	8%	4%	2%	1%	1%

21. Are you a legal guardian or parent?

No	644	88%
Yes	87	12%

21b. How many children or dependents do you care for?

1	32	64%
2	12	24%
3	5	10%
4	1	2%
5 or more	0	0%

21c. How many of your dependents are under the age of 18?

None	6	12%
1	30	61%
2	9	18%
3	3	6%
4	1	2%
5 or more	0	0%

22. Please indicate whether or not you are a Theme Program resident and, if so, which program you are a part of (choose one):

I am not a Theme Program resident	683	98%
African American Theme Program (AATP)	1	0%
Asian Pacific American Theme House (APATH)	6	1%
Casa Magdalena Mora (CASA)	2	0%
Global Environment Theme Program (GETH)	2	0%
Native American Theme Program (NATP)	1	0%
Unity House	3	0%
Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE)	0	0%

23. During your first year at Berkeley, how often do you expect each of the following to be obstacles to your school work or academic success?

	Not at all	Rarely	Occasionally	Frequently	All the time
Competing job responsibilities (i.e., paid employment)	239	114	202	107	62
	33%	16%	28%	15%	9%
Competing family responsibilities	187	179	211	104	49
	26%	25%	29%	14%	7%
Other competing responsibilities (e.g., athletics, clubs, internship)	156	165	236	131	36
	22%	23%	33%	18%	5%
Weak spoken English skills	513	71	81	42	20
	71%	10%	11%	6%	3%
Weak writing skills	374	152	126	46	27
	52%	21%	17%	6%	4%
Weak math skills	357	195	123	40	11
	49%	27%	17%	6%	2%
Inadequate study skills (e.g., knowing how to start, knowing how to get help, organizing material)	201	220	218	69	21
	28%	30%	30%	10%	3%
Poor study behaviors (e.g., wait till last minute, easily distracted, too much social time, too much web surfing)	162	171	239	114	43
	22%	24%	33%	16%	6%
Bad study environment (e.g., noisy roommate, poor Internet access, inadequate computer or software)	189	212	206	95	27
	26%	29%	28%	13%	4%
Poor library research skills	223	231	194	63	19
	31%	32%	27%	9%	3%
Feeling depressed, stressed, or upset	105	155	258	145	64
	14%	21%	36%	20%	9%
Physical illness or condition	254	269	128	56	18
	35%	37%	18%	8%	3%

24. In general, I consider myself:

1 - Not a very happy person	15	2%
2	21	3%
3	52	7%
4	124	17%
5	200	28%
6	216	30%
7 - A very happy person	97	13%

25. In the past 3 months, compared to most of my peers, I consider myself:

1 - Less happy	41	6%
2	48	7%
3	95	13%
4	148	20%
5	157	22%
6	163	23%
7 - More happy	73	10%

26. Whom can you really count on to help you feel better when you are feeling upset?

parents, guardians	523
	71%
friends nearby	523
	71%
teachers, coaches	67
	9%
siblings	264
	36%
online friends	121
	17%
clergy	17
	2%
other family	126
	17%
counselors, therapists	67
	9%
UCB student services support staff (counselor, advisor, etc.)	75
	10%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	118
	16%

27. In general, how satisfied are you with how available these people are to you?

Very dissatisfied	44	6%
Fairly dissatisfied	68	9%
A little dissatisfied	64	9%
A little satisfied	80	11%
Fairly satisfied	248	34%
Very satisfied	216	30%

28. Overall, how satisfied are you with the support that you have?

Very dissatisfied	56	8%
Fairly dissatisfied	59	8%
A little dissatisfied	56	8%
A little satisfied	90	13%
Fairly satisfied	249	35%
Very satisfied	211	29%

29. Do you know that all Berkeley students are eligible for up to 5 free counseling visits at Tang Center-University Health Services regardless of whether they have Berkeley SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan)?

Yes	426	59%
No	300	41%

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