2014 SONS Transfer: Results and Summary: Part 3 | Office of Planning and Analysis

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Academic Experience
Student Life and Development
Items of Special Interest

Academic Experience

1. We would like to hear more about your perception of being an undergraduate at a research university. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Disagree somewhat	Agree somewhat	Agree	Strongly agree
Berkeley has a strong commitment to undergraduate education	1	4	7	39	98	100
Berkeley has a strong commitment to undergraduate education	0%	2%	3%	16%	39%	40%
Attending a university with world-class researchers is important to me	1	2	7	39	77	124
	0%	1%	3%	16%	31%	50%
The emphasis on research at Berkeley detracts from the quality of teaching on this campus	24	50	57	58	33	27
	10%	20%	23%	23%	13%	11%

2. How important to you are the following aspects of being an undergraduate at a research university like UC Berkeley?

	Not important	Not very important	Somewhat important	Important	Very important	Essential
Learning about faculty research	3	11	50	84	56	46
Learning about faculty research	1%	4%	20%	34%	22%	18%
Having courses with faculty members who refer to their own research as part of the class	3	36	45	71	57	37
	1%	15%	18%	29%	23%	15%
Learning research methods	3	4	32	72	65	73
Learning research methods	1%	2%	13%	29%	26%	29%
Assisting faculty members in their research, for pay or as a volunteer	4	13	35	67	63	68
	2%	5%	14%	27%	25%	27%
Pursuing your own research	7	22	43	66	52	58
Pursuing your own research	3%	9%	17%	27%	21%	23%
The prestige of this campus/faculty when you apply to grad school	3	4	16	66	65	96
	1%	2%	6%	26%	26%	38%
The prestige of this campus when you apply for a job	1	2	12	53	69	113
The prestige of this campus when you apply for a job	0%	1%	5%	21%	28%	45%
Having access to a world-class library collection	4	14	17	56	71	86
Having access to a world-class library collection	2%	6%	7%	23%	29%	35%
Being able to attend plays, concerts, lectures, and other cultural events	6	14	45	54	72	58
	2%	6%	18%	22%	29%	23%

3a. How do you expect to use the library and library staff while you are at Berkeley? (Check all that apply)

To find data and statistical information	139
	55%
As a quiet place to study	156
	61%
For help in learning to do academic research	142
	56%
To find scholarly articles	150
	59%
For help in organizing my research	154
	60%
As a place to work on group projects	138
	54%
For printing, copying and scanning	149
	58%
To find books	148
	58%
Other (please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	5
	2%

3b. If you were seeking help in doing library research, which ways would you prefer to communicate? Rank the following from 1 to 6 or from 1 to 7 if 'Other' is specified

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Individual help at a library reference desk	103	46	48	17	16	7	5
Individual help at a library reference desk	43%	19%	20%	7%	7%	3%	2%
Individual help by appointment	39	71	31	46	25	22	2
Individual help by appointment	17%	30%	13%	20%	11%	9%	1%
Take an hour-long clas in library research methods	27	22	35	21	37	86	7
Take an hour-long clas in library research methods	12%	9%	15%	9%	16%	37%	3%
Use a virtual chat widget	24	35	35	34	50	53	2
Use a virtual chat widget	10%	15%	15%	15%	22%	23%	1%
Email	37	43	51	52	35	18	2
Email	16%	18%	21%	22%	15%	8%	1%
Phone	12	24	37	60	60	38	4
Phone	5%	10%	16%	26%	26%	16%	2%
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	2	1	0	4	6	6	24
Other [Contact OPA for more information]	5%	2%	0%	9%	14%	14%	56%

4. While attending UC Berkeley, how often would you like to...

	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Somewhat often	Often	Very often
Interact with students from a country or state outside of your own in class (e.g., through section discussions, study groups or class projects)	0	4	32	40	98	76
	0%	2%	13%	16%	39%	30%
Interact with students from a country or state outside your own in social settings (e.g., in clubs or student organizations, or in informal settings)	1	4	28	53	93	68
	0%	2%	11%	22%	38%	28%
Develop a friendship with a student from a country or state outside of your own	0	2	28	38	94	86
	0%	1%	11%	15%	38%	35%
Work with a faculty member on a project with an international/global theme	5	12	39	46	72	74
	2%	5%	16%	19%	29%	30%
Present a paper at a symposium or conference or participate in a panel on international / global topics	15	40	59	43	50	40
	6%	16%	24%	17%	20%	16%
Attend lectures, symposia, workshops or conferences on international/global topics	3	14	52	53	65	60
	1%	6%	21%	22%	26%	24%
Attend a performance with an international/global focus	8	15	52	54	61	58
Attend a performance with an international/global focus	3%	6%	21%	22%	25%	23%

4b. What are your values and beliefs with regards to your interaction with other students while attending UC Berkeley? Please tell us your level of agreement with the following statements:

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Agree	Strongly agree
I believe that exposure to students from other states and countries will help me interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures	0	0	7	30	65	148
	0%	0%	3%	12%	26%	59%
I believe that exposure to students from other states and countries will help me be more open to and understanding of different opinions and points of view	0	0	7	25	65	152
	0%	0%	3%	10%	26%	61%

5. How important is it to you to graduate in four years or, if you are a transfer student, in two years?

Not important	11	4%
Not very important	19	8%
Somewhat important	21	8%
Important	41	16%
Very important	77	31%
Essential	82	33%
Not applicable	0	0%

6. Regarding choice of a major, what advice have you received?

	Decide on a major as soon as possible	Take your time; explore options	No advice given
From your family	57	95	95
From your family	23%	39%	39%
From Cal advisors	67	96	84
From Cal advisors	27%	39%	34%
From friends	40	115	90
From friends	16%	47%	37%
From fellow Cal students	41	95	110
From fellow Cal students	17%	39%	45%
High school teachers or counselors	35	74	135
High school teachers or counselors	14%	30%	55%

7. What do you plan to do about a major?

I have declared a major	131	53%
I will declare a major as soon as possible	102	41%
I plan to take my time and explore options	14	6%

Student Life and Development

Goals & Aspirations

1. Indicate how important each of the following college goals is to you.

	Not important	Somewhat important	Very important
Be in a position to give back to my community after finishing my education	9	68	156
	4%	29%	67%
Acquire a well-rounded general education	5	51	178
Acquire a well-rounded general education	2%	22%	76%
Explore and discover my personal identity	13	58	163
Explore and discover my personal identity	6%	25%	70%
Discover what kind of person I really want to be	13	50	170
Discover what kind of person I really want to be	6%	22%	73%
Achieve a high GPA	16	60	158
Achieve a high GPA	7%	26%	68%
Form (a) romantic relationship(s)	100	73	58
Form (a) romantic relationship(s)	43%	32%	25%
Establish meaningful friendships	8	74	150
Establish meaningful friendships	3%	32%	65%
Prepare for graduate or professional school	12	58	163
Prepare for graduate or professional school	5%	25%	70%
Obtain the skills I need to pursue my chosen career	2	33	197
Obtain the skills I need to pursue my chosen career	1%	14%	85%
Be in a position to make a lot of money after finishing my education	38	93	102
	16%	40%	44%
Explore new ideas	7	54	172
Explore new ideas	3%	23%	74%
Enjoy my college years before assuming adult responsibilities	53	76	104
	23%	33%	45%
Develop a personal code of values and ethics	20	84	129
Develop a personal code of values and ethics	9%	36%	55%
Develop an in-depth understanding of a specific field of study	2	41	190
	1%	18%	82%
Integrate spirituality into my life	82	66	82
Integrate spirituality into my life	36%	29%	36%
Establish social networks that will help further my career	13	66	154
Establish social networks that will help further my career	6%	28%	66%
Obtain the skills I need to function in the international arena	25	88	119
	11%	38%	51%

2. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree that the following factors influenced your decision to choose UC Berkeley: UC Berkeley would...

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Agree	Strongly agree
Challenge and/or change my perspective	7	10	15	51	78	70
Challenge and/or change my perspective	3%	4%	7%	22%	34%	30%
Prepare me to succeed in a career	0	1	3	18	79	131
Prepare me to succeed in a career	0%	0%	1%	8%	34%	57%
Prepare me to build a better life for myself and/or my family	2	0	6	30	58	135
	1%	0%	3%	13%	25%	58%
Teach me to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures	7	4	18	49	72	82
	3%	2%	8%	21%	31%	35%
Prepare me to make a difference in this world	2	1	14	40	76	99
Prepare me to make a difference in this world	1%	0%	6%	17%	33%	43%
Allow me to create own field of study (combine disciplines, create own major, etc.)	15	21	24	69	54	48
	7%	9%	10%	30%	23%	21%
Prepare me to get the job I desire	0	2	9	33	70	117
Prepare me to get the job I desire	0%	1%	4%	14%	30%	51%
Help increase my social consciousness (e.g., be more aware of people and issues regardless of background, ethnicity; doing things for the public good)	3	7	22	44	71	85
	1%	3%	10%	19%	31%	37%
Help me to be more open to and understanding of different opinions and points of view (e.g., openness, freedom)	4	6	17	44	76	85
	2%	3%	7%	19%	33%	37%

3. How concerned are you now about each of the following?

	Not at all concerned	Unconcerned	Somewhat unconcerned	Somewhat concerned	Concerned	Very concerned
Financing my education at Berkeley	15	6	14	59	67	73
Financing my education at Berkeley	6%	3%	6%	25%	29%	31%
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at Berkeley	12	14	15	63	62	68
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at Berkeley	5%	6%	6%	27%	27%	29%
Getting into my first choice of major	74	37	20	20	31	51
Getting into my first choice of major	32%	16%	9%	9%	13%	22%
Being able to maintain a high GPA	0	3	11	44	64	112
Being able to maintain a high GPA	0%	1%	5%	19%	27%	48%
Getting the academic advising I need	5	16	36	56	72	48
Getting the academic advising I need	2%	7%	16%	24%	31%	21%
Getting the career and professional advising I need	6	13	25	53	68	68
Getting the career and professional advising I need	3%	6%	11%	23%	29%	29%
Getting the psychological counseling I might need	41	39	52	49	27	24
Getting the psychological counseling I might need	18%	17%	22%	21%	12%	10%
Getting along with my roommate(s)	68	41	34	42	29	19
Getting along with my roommate(s)	29%	18%	15%	18%	12%	8%
Being able to balance academic and social activities	10	15	26	62	63	55
Being able to balance academic and social activities	4%	7%	11%	27%	27%	24%
Being able to make the kind of friends I want	18	12	27	63	58	55
Being able to make the kind of friends I want	8%	5%	12%	27%	25%	24%
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'	58	36	37	43	35	24
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'	25%	16%	16%	19%	15%	10%
Being able to maintain good health	21	21	29	55	64	43
Being able to maintain good health	9%	9%	12%	24%	28%	19%
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and family	56	34	33	52	26	32
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and family	24%	15%	14%	22%	11%	14%
Being overwhelmed with all the things I'm expected to do my first semester	10	8	17	57	57	81
	4%	4%	7%	25%	25%	35%
Regretting my decision to attend Berkeley	102	34	31	35	20	11
Regretting my decision to attend Berkeley	44%	15%	13%	15%	9%	5%

4. Based on your experience and observation, rate the general climate for students at Berkeley along the following dimensions: Campus climate is...

6 - Friendly	67	29%
5	76	33%
4	58	25%
3	22	10%
2	9	4%
1 - Hostile	0	0%

6 - Caring	43	19%
5	65	28%
4	66	28%
3	45	19%
2	8	3%
1 - Impersonal	5	2%

6 - Intellectual	118	51%
5	75	32%
4	35	15%
3	4	2%
2	0	0%
1 - Not intellectual	0	0%

1 - Appreciative of diversity	93	40%
5	80	35%
4	32	14%
3	17	7%
2	6	3%
1 - Unappreciative of diversity	3	1%

6 - Safe	48	21%
5	75	33%
4	68	29%
3	26	11%
2	13	6%
1 - Dangerous	1	0%

6 - Too hard academically	34	15%
5	91	39%
4	83	36%
3	20	9%
2	2	1%
1 - Too easy academically	1	0%

6 - Affordable	14	6%
5	38	17%
4	59	26%
3	65	28%
2	32	14%
1 - Not affordable	23	10%

5. As you start your first semester at Cal, please rank your concerns in these five general areas. One (1) is first or the area of most concern. (Rank the following from 1 to 5)

	1	2	3	4	5
Being successful academically (e.g., understanding material, GPA, getting into the major I want)	117	61	25	12	16
	51%	26%	11%	5%	7%
Financing my education at Cal (e.g., money for expenses, being able to work, finding affordable housing)	36	45	45	42	63
	16%	20%	20%	18%	27%
Making good choices, finding direction for my life (e.g., what I want to do after college, making the right career choice)	19	33	57	73	48
	8%	14%	25%	32%	21%
Balancing things, finding time for everything (e.g., balancing academic and social life, not being overwhelmed)	38	61	66	47	19
	17%	26%	29%	20%	8%
Making friends, having a personal life (e.g., not being lonely, having a good relationship)	20	30	41	56	83
	9%	13%	18%	24%	36%

6. As a beginning UC Berkeley student, how would you rate your competencies below?

	Very poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Very good	Excellent
Understanding of the complexities of global issues	6	34	58	63	50	22
Understanding of the complexities of global issues	3%	15%	25%	27%	22%	9%
Ability to apply disciplinary knowledge in a global context	5	29	51	79	48	20
Ability to apply disciplinary knowledge in a global context	2%	13%	22%	34%	21%	9%
Linguistic and cultural competency in at least one language other than my own	25	29	48	49	37	45
	11%	12%	21%	21%	16%	19%
Ability to work with people from other cultures	0	3	22	69	76	63
Ability to work with people from other cultures	0%	1%	9%	30%	33%	27%
Comfort working with people from other cultures	0	1	23	64	61	84
Comfort working with people from other cultures	0%	0%	10%	28%	26%	36%

7. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following?

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Disagree somewhat	Agree somewhat	Agree	Strongly agree
Opportunities for community service while at Berkeley are important to me	5	11	19	77	81	36
	2%	5%	8%	34%	35%	16%
Opportunities to develop my leadership skills while at Berkeley are important to me	4	6	7	55	87	69
	2%	3%	3%	24%	38%	30%
Opportunities to connect my academic work with community-based experience at Cal are important to me	3	4	9	50	82	80
	1%	2%	4%	22%	36%	35%

Items of Special Interest

Advising and Course Selection

1. What type of advising do you expect and hope to receive from an advisor? Please rank from 1 to 7, in order of what is personally important to you, assigning a 1 to the option you feel is most important.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Career and Professional advising	42	41	44	44	21	32	16
Career and Professional advising	18%	17%	18%	18%	9%	13%	7%
Choosing classes	57	34	39	24	38	32	15
Choosing classes	24%	14%	16%	10%	16%	13%	6%
Enrichment opportunities (e.g., Study abroad, research)	19	47	36	38	35	37	25
Enrichment opportunities (e.g., Study abroad, research)	8%	20%	15%	16%	15%	16%	11%
Financial aid and scholarships	40	42	27	39	32	27	31
Financial aid and scholarships	17%	18%	11%	16%	13%	11%	13%
Understanding Campus Resources	9	20	32	40	49	57	30
Understanding Campus Resources	4%	8%	14%	17%	21%	24%	13%
Selecting a major	25	16	16	15	21	31	113
Selecting a major	11%	7%	7%	6%	9%	13%	48%
Academic Support	41	33	46	36	40	24	18
Academic Support	17%	14%	19%	15%	17%	10%	8%

2a. With whom did you consult with when selecting courses for your first semester? Please select all that apply.

CalSO leader (i.e., student CalSO staff)	32
	13%
College advisor in your home College (e.g., Letters & Science, College of Engineering)	64
	26%
Major advisor	146
	60%
Co-curricular Advisors/Student Services Support Staff (e.g., advising staff working in offices such as the Student Life Advising Services, Bridge, the Berkeley International Office, the Transfer, Reentry, & Student Parent Center)	19
	8%
Faculty member	33
	14%
Another student	69
	28%
Parent, Guardian, or family member	39
	16%
Online (e.g., departmental website, forum, catalog review)	94
	39%
Friend(s)	64
	26%
No one	21
	9%
Other (please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	4
	2%

2b. Who provided the most useful guidance in the selection of your courses for the current term?

CalSO leader	6	3%
College advisor in your home College (e.g., Letters & Science, College of Engineering)	31	13%
Major advisor	93	38%
Co-curricular Advisors/Student Services Support Staff (e.g., advising staff working in offices such as the Student Life Advising Services, Bridge, the Berkeley International Office, the Transfer, Reentry, & Student Parent Center)	6	3%
Faculty member	6	3%
Another student	16	7%
Parent, Guardian, or family member	9	4%
Online (e.g., departmental website, forum, catalog review)	32	13%
Friend(s)	13	5%
No one	27	11%
Other (please specify) [Contact OPA for more information]	3	1%

2c. How satisfied are you with the amount of individualized guidance you received from the people you consulted with in selecting your courses?

Very dissatisfied	12	5%
Dissatisfied	8	3%
Somewhat dissatisfied	26	11%
Somewhat satisfied	68	29%
Satisfied	88	37%
Very satisfied	36	15%

3. Since being admitted, have you ever received advice from two different offices or staff members at Cal that was contradictory or in conflict?

Yes	35	15%
No	206	86%

3a. Please explain what happened (when you received advice from two different offices or staff members at Cal that was contradictory or in conflict)

[Contact OPA for more information]

3b. Please describe how you decided which advice to follow

[Contact OPA for more information]

4. Select the top three factors that most influenced how you selected courses for your first semester.

First:

Academic Advisor	82	35%
Co-curricular Advisor/Student Services Support Staff	3	1%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultures, Foreign Languages, etc.)	52	22%
I found the subject generally interesting	73	31%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding	1	0%
Parental desires	3	1%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student	1	0%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student	10	4%
Reputation of professor	11	5%
The personality of the teachers	1	0%

Second:

Academic Advisor	52	22%
Co-curricular Advisor/Student Services Support Staff	5	2%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultures, Foreign Languages, etc.)	43	19%
I found the subject generally interesting	68	29%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding	6	3%
Parental desires	4	2%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student	6	3%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student	20	9%
Reputation of professor	28	12%

Third:

Academic Advisor	30	14%
Co-curricular Advisor/Student Services Support Staff	11	5%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultures, Foreign Languages, etc.)	43	20%
I found the subject generally interesting	43	20%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding	19	9%
Parental desires	3	1%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student	10	5%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student	25	12%
Reputation of professor	29	14%

5. What other factors did you consider when setting up your course schedule for the current term?

[Contact OPA for more information]

6. How satisfied are you with each of the following, based on your experiences with accessing courses for the current semester?

	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Satisfied	Very satisfied
Availability of courses for general education or breadth requirements	5	9	17	67	109	29
	2%	4%	7%	28%	46%	12%
Availability of courses to fulfill prerequisite requirements	9	7	16	67	103	35
	4%	3%	7%	28%	44%	15%
Ability to get into the lectures or seminars (i.e., primary courses) you wanted	10	12	24	52	98	44
	4%	5%	10%	22%	41%	18%
Ability to get into the discussion sections or labs (i.e., secondary courses) you wanted	8	12	27	51	96	44
	3%	5%	11%	21%	40%	19%
Variety of courses available	4	9	29	51	96	50
Variety of courses available	2%	4%	12%	21%	40%	21%
Access to small classes	11	21	41	67	73	25
Access to small classes	5%	9%	17%	28%	31%	11%

7. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Agree	Strongly agree
I encountered difficulty in creating a course schedule for my first semester due to the lack of information about how my previous coursework articulates to UCB.	26	61	45	50	35	22
	11%	26%	19%	21%	15%	9%
I have had trouble finding out what UCB degree requirements I have already satisfied through my past coursework.	34	68	48	38	36	14
	14%	29%	20%	16%	15%	6%
I have had trouble finding out how many transferable units have been accepted and will count toward my UCB degree.	34	58	39	43	38	27
	14%	24%	16%	18%	16%	11%

8. Have you completed all of the prerequisite courses for your desired UCB major(s)?

Yes	110	46%
No	89	37%
I am not sure	40	17%

9. How many additional prerequisite courses for your desired major do you need to complete?

1	40	31%
2	25	19%
3	8	6%
4	4	3%
5 or more	10	8%
I am not sure	42	33%

back to the SONS 2014 Transfer results