UCLA Higher Education Research Initiative survey reports freshmen are focusing more on academics

College freshmen nationwide are focusing more on academics as a path to a better job than previous freshmen classes, according to a recent survey published by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Initiative.

Not only do America’s freshmen come to college for stronger job opportunities, they also exhibit more studious habits by partying less and studying more, according to the study.

The survey also showed that UCLA surpasses the national average in the percentage of first-year students whose priorities include pursuing interests and making the most of their college experience, said Linda DeAngelo, assistant director for research at the Cooperatie Institutional Research Program.

The initiative annually releases information on the year’s incoming freshmen. It published its 2011 survey, The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2011 last month and included demographic statistics of about 200,000 incoming freshmen from 270 institutions of higher education.

Planning for the future

While it is not a new priority, the survey shows this year’s freshman class continues to look to college to advance their professional prospects.

Of the polled students, 85.9 percent identified improving job prospects as “very important” and their primary reason for attending college.

That’s about a 3 percent increase in this category compared to the last two years.

Before 2006, the survey showed most students thought learning more about things that interested them was the most important part of college, marking a shift in priorities after the economic collapse of 2007. Increasing desires for improved job prospects sprang from economic uncertainty in the aftermath of the recession, DeAngelo said.

Focusing on scholastics

2011’s freshman class took more Advanced Placement courses in high school than the 2010 freshmen. More of the 2011 freshmen spent more than six hours per week studying, compared to 2010’s freshman class.

Frequent alcohol use reached an all-time low in 2011, with beer consumption dropping by 3 percent to 35.4 percent, while wine and liquor consumption fell by about 2 percent.

DeAngelo did not speculate on the reason for the decline, saying that the role of the study was to portray trends, not to analyze the causes.

One undergraduate offered a possible explanation ““ “As students take on (harder classes) their workload increases and they have less time to party,” said Sandra Harpster, a fourth-year psychobiology student.

Bruins diverge from trend

National trends see students focusing on job prospects, but polls also suggest that UCLA students look not just to learn a trade, but also to gain a well-rounded undergraduate education, said Kristen McKinney, director of the Student Affairs Information and Resource Office.

The survey showed that first-year students at UCLA saw pursuing their interests as a higher priority than advancing their employment options, the opposite of national trends.

The data can ultimately be viewed as a gauge for student interests, said Mike Cohn, associate director of the Center for Student Programming, which is responsible for coordinating extracurricular organizations on campus.

“Of course I came to college to get a good job,” said Aaron Sung, a third-year aerospace engineering student. “But I want everything else a general education has to offer.”