Part 3: Random Module | Office of Planning and Analysis

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	4	4	9	40	101	79
Berkeley has a strong commitment to undergraduate education	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 important	Not very important	Somewhat important	Important	Very important	Essential
Learning about faculty research	3	18	30	64	72	51
Learning about faculty research	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
Learning research methods	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
Pursuing your own research	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
The prestige of this campus when you apply for a job	2%	2%	8%	19%	28%	42%
Having access to a world-class library collection	2	10	25	45	59	96
Having access to a world-class library collection	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

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

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)	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
Attend a performance with an international/global focus	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 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	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 possible	Take your time; explore options	No advice given
From your family	48	92	94
From your family	21%	39%	40%
From Cal advisors	57	81	95
From Cal advisors	25%	35%	41%
From friends	31	108	90
From friends	14%	47%	39%
From fellow Cal students	43	82	107
From fellow Cal students	19%	35%	46%
High school teachers or counselors	48	79	106
High school teachers or counselors	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%

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	7	74	189
	3%	27%	70%
Acquire a well-rounded general education	3	52	215
Acquire a well-rounded general education	1%	19%	80%
Explore and discover my personal identity	19	61	189
Explore and discover my personal identity	7%	23%	70%
Discover what kind of person I really want to be	20	54	196
Discover what kind of person I really want to be	7%	20%	73%
Achieve a high GPA	11	83	174
Achieve a high GPA	4%	31%	65%
Form (a) romantic relationship(s)	130	79	60
Form (a) romantic relationship(s)	48%	29%	22%
Establish meaningful friendships	9	82	176
Establish meaningful friendships	3%	31%	66%
Prepare for graduate or professional school	18	76	173
Prepare for graduate or professional school	7%	29%	65%
Obtain the skills I need to pursue my chosen career	5	31	233
Obtain the skills I need to pursue my chosen career	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
Explore new ideas	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
Develop a personal code of values and ethics	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
Integrate spirituality into my life	40%	24%	36%
Establish social networks that will help further my career	7	76	186
Establish social networks that will help further my career	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 disagree	Disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Agree	Strongly agree
Challenge and/or change my perspective	6	9	19	60	91	85
Challenge and/or change my perspective	2%	3%	7%	22%	34%	32%
Prepare me to succeed in a career	0	2	3	23	94	147
Prepare me to succeed in a career	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
Prepare me to make a difference in this world	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
Prepare me to get the job I desire	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 concerned	Unconcerned	Somewhat unconcerned	Somewhat concerned	Concerned	Very concerned
Financing my education at Berkeley	24	18	27	58	63	78
Financing my education at Berkeley	9%	7%	10%	22%	24%	29%
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at Berkeley	23	15	22	54	58	96
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at Berkeley	9%	6%	8%	20%	22%	36%
Getting into my first choice of major	86	32	27	36	40	46
Getting into my first choice of major	32%	12%	10%	14%	15%	17%
Being able to maintain a high GPA	8	7	16	56	75	105
Being able to maintain a high GPA	3%	3%	6%	21%	28%	39%
Getting the academic advising I need	13	27	42	61	69	53
Getting the academic advising I need	5%	10%	16%	23%	26%	20%
Getting the career and professional advising I need	15	18	28	75	77	53
Getting the career and professional advising I need	6%	7%	11%	28%	29%	20%
Getting the psychological counseling I might need	44	55	60	35	47	26
Getting the psychological counseling I might need	17%	21%	23%	13%	18%	10%
Getting along with my roommate(s)	81	40	45	45	33	21
Getting along with my roommate(s)	31%	15%	17%	17%	13%	8%
Being able to balance academic and social activities	19	12	27	84	72	54
Being able to balance academic and social activities	7%	5%	10%	31%	27%	20%
Being able to make the kind of friends I want	19	17	41	65	67	59
Being able to make the kind of friends I want	7%	6%	15%	24%	25%	22%
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'	66	44	36	50	45	26
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'	25%	17%	14%	19%	17%	10%
Being able to maintain good health	19	26	30	65	66	62
Being able to maintain good health	7%	10%	11%	24%	25%	23%
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and family	56	37	42	50	51	32
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and family	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)

	1	2	3	4	5
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 poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Very good	Excellent
Understanding of the complexities of global issues	6	24	55	92	70	21
Understanding of the complexities of global issues	2%	9%	21%	34%	26%	8%
Ability to apply disciplinary knowledge in a global context	6	23	61	93	63	22
Ability to apply disciplinary knowledge in a global context	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
Ability to work with people from other cultures	2%	1%	10%	32%	31%	24%
Comfort working with people from other cultures	5	2	19	76	83	84
Comfort working with people from other cultures	2%	1%	7%	28%	31%	31%

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	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%

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	39	48	43	39	21	30	19
Career and Professional advising	16%	20%	18%	16%	9%	13%	8%
Choosing classes	55	45	42	25	26	33	14
Choosing classes	23%	19%	18%	10%	11%	14%	6%
Enrichment opportunities (e.g., Study abroad, research)	18	40	26	47	50	41	17
Enrichment opportunities (e.g., Study abroad, research)	8%	17%	11%	20%	21%	17%	7%
Financial aid and scholarships	40	34	40	26	24	40	35
Financial aid and scholarships	17%	14%	17%	11%	10%	17%	15%
Understanding Campus Resources	11	17	38	36	57	47	33
Understanding Campus Resources	5%	7%	16%	15%	24%	20%	14%
Selecting a major	28	14	14	15	26	31	110
Selecting a major	12%	6%	6%	6%	11%	13%	46%
Academic Support	61	41	32	48	37	16	8
Academic Support	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 dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Satisfied	Very 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
Variety of courses available	3%	5%	12%	24%	40%	16%
Access to small classes	21	21	34	65	72	29
Access to small classes	9%	9%	14%	27%	30%	12%

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.	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%