Part 3: Random Module

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 disagreeDisagreeDisagree somewhatAgree somewhatAgreeStrongly agree
Berkeley has a strong commitment to undergraduate education 4 4 9 40 101 79
2% 2% 4% 17% 43% 33%
Attending a university with world-class researchers is important to me 4 6 14 39 61 113
2% 3% 6% 17% 26% 48%
The emphasis on research at Berkeley detracts from the quality of teaching on this campus 14 38 48 63 40 32
6% 16% 20% 27% 17% 14%

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

 Not importantNot very importantSomewhat importantImportantVery importantEssential
Learning about faculty research 3 18 30 64 72 51
1% 8% 13% 27% 30% 21%
Having courses with faculty members who refer to their own research as part of the class 9 27 32 61 63 43
4% 12% 14% 26% 27% 18%
Learning research methods 3 10 20 54 69 82
1% 4% 8% 23% 29% 35%
Assisting faculty members in their research, for pay or as a volunteer 2 15 33 57 68 61
1% 6% 14% 24% 29% 26%
Pursuing your own research 6 18 32 60 50 71
3% 8% 14% 25% 21% 30%
The prestige of this campus/faculty when you apply to grad school 7 5 23 51 65 87
3% 2% 10% 21% 27% 37%
The prestige of this campus when you apply for a job 4 4 20 44 66 100
2% 2% 8% 19% 28% 42%
Having access to a world-class library collection 2 10 25 45 59 96
1% 4% 11% 19% 25% 41%
Being able to attend plays, concerts, lectures, and other cultural events 6 21 32 52 60 64
3% 9% 14% 22% 26% 27%

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 143
59%
As a quiet place to study 135
56%
For help in learning to do academic research 135
56%
To find scholarly articles 133
55%
For help in organizing my research 133
55%
As a place to work on group projects 141
58%
For printing, copying and scanning 132
55%
To find books 127
53%
Other (please specify) 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

 1234567
Individual help at a library reference desk 88 49 28 18 15 13 7
40% 23% 13% 8% 7% 6% 3%
Individual help by appointment 34 51 42 44 29 14 2
16% 24% 19% 20% 13% 7% 1%
Take an hour-long clas in library research methods 25 29 22 27 34 63 12
12% 14% 10% 13% 16% 30% 6%
Use a virtual chat widget 28 18 38 36 40 46 5
13% 9% 18% 17% 19% 22% 2%
Email 32 29 55 41 37 19 2
15% 14% 26% 19% 17% 9% 1%
Phone 12 38 29 36 48 47 2
6% 18% 14% 17% 23% 22% 1%
Other 6 4 1 5 7 4 19
13% 9% 2% 11% 15% 9% 41%

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

 NeverRarelyOccasionallySomewhat oftenOftenVery 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) 1 7 29 37 95 67
0% 3% 12% 16% 40% 28%
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) 3 5 27 41 88 71
1% 2% 12% 17% 37% 30%
Develop a friendship with a student from a country or state outside of your own 1 7 23 31 84 88
0% 3% 10% 13% 36% 38%
Work with a faculty member on a project with an international/global theme 12 15 33 32 66 76
5% 6% 14% 14% 28% 33%
Present a paper at a symposium or conference or participate in a panel on international / global topics 21 32 42 41 49 49
9% 14% 18% 18% 21% 21%
Attend lectures, symposia, workshops or conferences on international/global topics 11 15 35 42 58 75
5% 6% 15% 18% 25% 32%
Attend a performance with an international/global focus 7 18 40 38 63 68
3% 8% 17% 16% 27% 29%

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 disagreeDisagreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeAgreeStrongly 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 4 32 72 128
0% 0% 2% 14% 31% 54%
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 1 4 29 69 133
0% 0% 2% 12% 29% 56%

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

Not important 7 3%
Not very important 13 6%
Somewhat important 30 13%
Important 36 15%
Very important 75 32%
Essential 74 31%
Not applicable 1 0%

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

 Decide on a major as soon as possibleTake your time; explore optionsNo advice given
From your family 48 92 94
21% 39% 40%
From Cal advisors 57 81 95
25% 35% 41%
From friends 31 108 90
14% 47% 39%
From fellow Cal students 43 82 107
19% 35% 46%
High school teachers or counselors 48 79 106
21% 34% 46%

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

I have declared a major 120 51%
I will declare a major as soon as possible 112 47%
I plan to take my time and explore options 5 2%

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Student Life and Development

Goals & Aspirations

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

 Not importantSomewhat importantVery important
Be in a position to give back to my community after finishing my education 7 74 189
3% 27% 70%
Acquire a well-rounded general education 3 52 215
1% 19% 80%
Explore and discover my personal identity 19 61 189
7% 23% 70%
Discover what kind of person I really want to be 20 54 196
7% 20% 73%
Achieve a high GPA 11 83 174
4% 31% 65%
Form (a) romantic relationship(s) 130 79 60
48% 29% 22%
Establish meaningful friendships 9 82 176
3% 31% 66%
Prepare for graduate or professional school 18 76 173
7% 29% 65%
Obtain the skills I need to pursue my chosen career 5 31 233
2% 12% 87%
Be in a position to make a lot of money after finishing my education 37 116 116
14% 43% 43%
Explore new ideas 8 56 206
3% 21% 76%
Enjoy my college years before assuming adult responsibilities 66 77 125
25% 29% 47%
Develop a personal code of values and ethics 31 86 153
12% 32% 57%
Develop an in-depth understanding of a specific field of study 6 50 213
2% 19% 79%
Integrate spirituality into my life 107 64 98
40% 24% 36%
Establish social networks that will help further my career 7 76 186
3% 28% 69%
Obtain the skills I need to function in the international arena 31 99 139
12% 37% 52%

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

UC Berkeley would...

 Strongly disagreeDisagreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeAgreeStrongly agree
Challenge and/or change my perspective 6 9 19 60 91 85
2% 3% 7% 22% 34% 32%
Prepare me to succeed in a career 0 2 3 23 94 147
0% 1% 1% 9% 35% 55%
Prepare me to build a better life for myself and/or my family 2 3 2 26 90 147
1% 1% 1% 10% 33% 54%
Teach me to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures 7 11 14 48 93 97
3% 4% 5% 18% 34% 36%
Prepare me to make a difference in this world 3 4 8 34 92 129
1% 2% 3% 13% 34% 48%
Allow me to create own field of study (combine disciplines, create own major, etc.) 15 24 24 65 82 60
6% 9% 9% 24% 30% 22%
Prepare me to get the job I desire 1 3 3 32 109 122
0% 1% 1% 12% 40% 45%
Help increase my social consciousness (e.g., be more aware of people and issues regardless of background, ethnicity; doing things for the public good) 2 15 13 39 98 103
1% 6% 5% 14% 36% 38%
Help me to be more open to and understanding of different opinions and points of view (e.g., openness, freedom) 3 11 13 40 91 111
1% 4% 5% 15% 34% 41%

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

 Not at all concernedUnconcernedSomewhat unconcernedSomewhat concernedConcernedVery concerned
Financing my education at Berkeley 24 18 27 58 63 78
9% 7% 10% 22% 24% 29%
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at Berkeley 23 15 22 54 58 96
9% 6% 8% 20% 22% 36%
Getting into my first choice of major 86 32 27 36 40 46
32% 12% 10% 14% 15% 17%
Being able to maintain a high GPA 8 7 16 56 75 105
3% 3% 6% 21% 28% 39%
Getting the academic advising I need 13 27 42 61 69 53
5% 10% 16% 23% 26% 20%
Getting the career and professional advising I need 15 18 28 75 77 53
6% 7% 11% 28% 29% 20%
Getting the psychological counseling I might need 44 55 60 35 47 26
17% 21% 23% 13% 18% 10%
Getting along with my roommate(s) 81 40 45 45 33 21
31% 15% 17% 17% 13% 8%
Being able to balance academic and social activities 19 12 27 84 72 54
7% 5% 10% 31% 27% 20%
Being able to make the kind of friends I want 19 17 41 65 67 59
7% 6% 15% 24% 25% 22%
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick' 66 44 36 50 45 26
25% 17% 14% 19% 17% 10%
Being able to maintain good health 19 26 30 65 66 62
7% 10% 11% 24% 25% 23%
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and family 56 37 42 50 51 32
21% 14% 16% 19% 19% 12%
Being overwhelmed with all the things I'm expected to do my first semester 14 15 24 52 72 90
5% 6% 9% 20% 27% 34%
Regretting my decision to attend Berkeley 102 49 38 35 22 22
38% 18% 14% 13% 8% 8%

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

6 - Friendly 71 27%
5 97 36%
4 56 21%
3 36 13%
2 7 3%
1 - Hostile 1 0%
6 - Caring 53 20%
5 76 28%
4 69 26%
3 44 16%
2 18 7%
1 - Impersonal 8 3%
6 - Intellectual 145 54%
5 89 33%
4 25 9%
3 7 3%
2 1 0%
1 - Not intellectual 0 0%
1 - Appreciative of diversity 108 41%
5 79 30%
4 51 19%
3 18 7%
2 8 3%
1 - Unappreciative of diversity 2 1%
6 - Safe 54 21%
5 83 31%
4 69 26%
3 34 13%
2 21 8%
1 - Dangerous 3 1%
6 - Too hard academically 35 13%
5 119 44%
4 85 32%
3 27 10%
2 1 0%
1 - Too easy academically 1 0%
6 - Affordable 17 6%
5 40 15%
4 84 32%
3 58 22%
2 32 12%
1 - Not affordable 36 14%

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)

 12345
Being successful academically (e.g., understanding material, GPA, getting into the major I want) 139 68 28 15 14
53% 26% 11% 6% 5%
Financing my education at Cal (e.g., money for expenses, being able to work, finding affordable housing) 45 49 41 43 86
17% 19% 16% 16% 33%
Making good choices, finding direction for my life (e.g., what I want to do after college, making the right career choice) 23 31 61 90 59
9% 12% 23% 34% 22%
Balancing things, finding time for everything (e.g., balancing academic and social life, not being overwhelmed) 39 84 67 52 22
15% 32% 25% 20% 8%
Making friends, having a personal life (e.g., not being lonely, having a good relationship) 19 34 61 61 89
7% 13% 23% 23% 34%

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

 Very poorPoorFairGoodVery goodExcellent
Understanding of the complexities of global issues 6 24 55 92 70 21
2% 9% 21% 34% 26% 8%
Ability to apply disciplinary knowledge in a global context 6 23 61 93 63 22
2% 9% 23% 35% 24% 8%
Linguistic and cultural competency in at least one language other than my own 27 43 52 57 41 48
10% 16% 19% 21% 15% 18%
Ability to work with people from other cultures 5 2 27 85 84 65
2% 1% 10% 32% 31% 24%
Comfort working with people from other cultures 5 2 19 76 83 84
2% 1% 7% 28% 31% 31%

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

 Strongly disagreeDisagreeDisagree somewhatAgree somewhatAgreeStrongly agree
Opportunities for community service while at Berkeley are important to me 4 16 26 86 94 39
2% 6% 10% 33% 36% 15%
Opportunities to develop my leadership skills while at Berkeley are important to me 3 8 14 68 97 75
1% 3% 5% 26% 37% 28%
Opportunities to connect my academic work with community-based experience at Cal are important to me 3 7 11 58 109 76
1% 3% 4% 22% 41% 29%

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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.

 1234567
Career and Professional advising 39 48 43 39 21 30 19
16% 20% 18% 16% 9% 13% 8%
Choosing classes 55 45 42 25 26 33 14
23% 19% 18% 10% 11% 14% 6%
Enrichment opportunities (e.g., Study abroad, research) 18 40 26 47 50 41 17
8% 17% 11% 20% 21% 17% 7%
Financial aid and scholarships 40 34 40 26 24 40 35
17% 14% 17% 11% 10% 17% 15%
Understanding Campus Resources 11 17 38 36 57 47 33
5% 7% 16% 15% 24% 20% 14%
Selecting a major 28 14 14 15 26 31 110
12% 6% 6% 6% 11% 13% 46%
Academic Support 61 41 32 48 37 16 8
25% 17% 13% 20% 15% 7% 3%

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) 46
18%
College advisor in your home College (e.g., Letters & Science, College of Engineering) 61
24%
Major advisor 166
65%
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) 20
8%
Faculty member 20
8%
Another student 76
30%
Parent, Guardian, or family member 33
13%
Online (e.g., departmental website, forum, catalog review) 97
38%
Friend(s) 78
31%
No one 14
6%
Other (please specify)
[Contact OPA for more information]
1
0%

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

CalSO leader 10 4%
College advisor in your home College (e.g., Letters & Science, College of Engineering) 18 7%
Major advisor 113 47%
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) 3 1%
Faculty member 4 2%
Another student 22 9%
Parent, Guardian, or family member 5 2%
Online (e.g., departmental website, forum, catalog review) 30 12%
Friend(s) 11 5%
No one 24 10%
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 14 6%
Dissatisfied 19 8%
Somewhat dissatisfied 24 10%
Somewhat satisfied 70 29%
Satisfied 82 34%
Very satisfied 34 14%

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 46 19%
No 197 81%

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 88 36%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultu 43 18%
I found the subject generally interesting 87 36%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding 2 1%
Parental desires 2 1%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student 4 2%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student 13 5%
Reputation of professor 3 1%

Second:

Academic Advisor 60 26%
Co-curricular Advisor/Student Services Support Staff 6 3%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultu 37 16%
I found the subject generally interesting 62 27%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding 4 2%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student 5 2%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student 22 9%
Reputation of professor 38 16%

Third:

Academic Advisor 31 14%
Co-curricular Advisor/Student Services Support Staff 9 4%
Course(s) fulfilled a general or breadth requirement (e.g., Reading and Composition, American Cultu 48 22%
I found the subject generally interesting 32 15%
I thought/had heard a course was not as rigorous or demanding 25 12%
Parental desires 5 2%
Recommendation of another new UC Berkeley student 10 5%
Recommendation of continuing UC Berkeley student 25 12%
Reputation of professor 32 15%

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 dissatisfiedDissatisfiedSomewhat dissatisfiedSomewhat satisfiedSatisfiedVery satisfied
Availability of courses for general education or breadth requirements 4 6 23 71 108 31
2% 3% 10% 29% 44% 13%
Availability of courses to fulfill prerequisite requirements 7 3 27 60 113 33
3% 1% 11% 25% 47% 14%
Ability to get into the lectures or seminars (i.e., primary courses) you wanted 11 7 32 58 100 36
5% 3% 13% 24% 41% 15%
Ability to get into the discussion sections or labs (i.e., secondary courses) you wanted 10 10 25 63 105 29
4% 4% 10% 26% 43% 12%
Variety of courses available 8 13 29 57 98 38
3% 5% 12% 24% 40% 16%
Access to small classes 21 21 34 65 72 29
9% 9% 14% 27% 30% 12%

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

 Strongly disagreeDisagreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeAgreeStrongly 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. 30 63 37 54 30 26
13% 26% 15% 23% 13% 11%
I have had trouble finding out what UCB degree requirements I have already satisfied through my past coursework. 34 60 46 52 26 19
14% 25% 19% 22% 11% 8%
I have had trouble finding out how many transferable units have been accepted and will count toward my UCB degree. 38 52 28 50 37 31
16% 22% 12% 21% 16% 13%

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

Yes 103 43%
No 100 42%
I am not sure 38 16%

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

1 41 30%
2 41 30%
3 11 8%
4 3 2%
5 or more 9 7%
I am not sure 33 24%

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