• Executive Summary
  

• Summary Comparison of 1995 First-Year and Transfer Students
  

• Introduction And Methodology
  

• Section I: Demographics of the Transfer Class and Survey Respondents
  

• Section II: Transfer Student Issues
  

• Section III: Marketing Research
  

• Section IV: Educational Intent
  

• Section V: General Education Goals
  

• Section VI: Personal Development Goals
  

• Section VII: World View Goals
  

• Section VIII: Co-Curricular Interests
  

• Section IX: Background Information
  

• Section X: Academic Unit Analysis
  

• Section XI: Comparison of 1995 First-Year and Transfer Respondents

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Overview

This report presents a profile of the 1995 entering Transfer students at NC State. It is based on responses to a survey given during three summer and fall Transfer orientation sessions, and represents 52.6% of the 1995 Transfer student class. Students transferring into all programs were included (although no one transferring into the Agricultural Institute completed a survey). No significant differences by gender, ethnicity, or college/school were observed between the sample obtained and the population of entering Transfer students. Thus, the results may be regarded as broadly representative of the 1995 Transfer class. However, significant differences by gender, ethnicity, and/or college/school were found for many of the questions.

Factors rated as having the strongest influence on Transfer students' decision to transfer to NC State included: availability of program, location, academic reputation, and level of support for intended major. Females rated location as significantly more important than did Males, and African-American respondents felt scholarships and financial aid and publications from NC State were significantly stronger factors in the decision to transfer to NC State than did Whites.

Although Transfer students indicated they were moderately satisfied with the quality of their admissions processes, only one-fourth of the respondents indicated that they were able to apply for university, college, or department scholarships. Approximately two-thirds of Transfer students responded that the number of courses that actually transferred was about the number they were led to believe would transfer by their previous institution and by their NC State department. However, significant differences were found by both gender and ethnicity.

Transfer students rated the more specific job-related general education goals as highest in importance and in current level of development. Transfer students appeared to have a practical assessment of the importance of self-concept and a realistic self-assessment of their development on diversity issues.

Of the Transfer students who reported that they were financially independent, three-fourths reported their 1994 pre-tax income as $20,000 or less. One-third of Transfer students reported that they will be receiving need-based financial aid. Almost three-fourths of the respondents plan to be employed during the academic year, with one-third working 20 or more hours a week.

University Planning and Analysis would like to thank the Office of New Student Orientation and First Year Experience, and especially Dr. Roger Callanan, for assistance with the administration of this survey.

The 1995 Transfer Class

• 41.6% Female, 58.4% Male
• 85.9% White, 4.8% African-American, 9.3% Other Minorities
• 52.3% age 21 and under, 37.7% age 22 - 30
• 38.6% transferred in as a First-Year student, 43.2% as a Sophomore
• 14.5% Married
• 85.9% In-State residency
• 77.3% Commuter
• 77.5% transferred from a North Carolina institution
• 34.7% transferred from an institution that awards degrees through the doctoral level, 44.8% transferred from an institution awarding 2- but less than 4-year degrees

Transfer Student Issues

Admissions Process

• Transfer students were moderately satisfied with the quality of the overall registration process, the university and departmental admissions processes, and the academic advising process.
• Over two-thirds (72%) of the respondents indicated they were able to register for the courses they needed or wanted. Significantly more African-Americans than the other ethnic groups responded positively to this question.
• Only approximately one-fourth (23%) of the respondents indicated that they were able to apply for university, college, or department scholarships. Significantly more Males than Females and significantly more students from three colleges in particular (the College of Textiles, the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences) were able to apply for scholarships.

Number of Courses Transferred

• Sixty percent of the students indicated that the number of courses that actually transferred was about the number they were led to believe would transfer by their previous institution. Significantly fewer Females than Males and fewer African-Americans than other ethnic groups responded that the number which transferred was less than expected.
• More than two-thirds (71%) of the students indicated that the number of courses that actually transferred was about the number they were led to believe would transfer by their NC State department. Significantly more Males than Females and more Other Minorities than Whites and African-Americans responded that the number which transferred was less than expected.

Preparation for College

• Over half (54%) of the respondents felt their previous institution had prepared them well for further study, and over half (52%) felt they had prepared themselves well for college. However, only 29% felt their high school had prepared them well for college, while 47% felt they were adequately prepared.

Marketing Research

• Availability of program was the factor rated as having the strongest influence on Transfer students' decision to transfer to NC State. Other strong influences were: location, academic reputation, and level of support for intended major.
• Significant differences by gender and by ethnicity were found for a few of the factors. In particular, Females rated location higher than did Males, and African-American respondents felt scholarships and financial aid and publications from NC State were significantly stronger factors than did Whites.

Educational Intent

• The primary goal or objective for Transfer students attending NC State is either to obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for further schooling or to obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for a career. Significantly more Females than Males are preparing for further schooling and more Males than Females are preparing for a career.
• One-third of the Transfer students responded that the highest level of education they plan to complete is a bachelor's degree, while forty-one percent plan to complete a master's degree. Males and Whites were more likely to stop with the bachelor's degree than were their comparison groups were.

Goals for Undergraduate Preparation

From a list of knowledge, skills, and personal development goals held by NC State for undergraduate preparation, Transfer students were asked to indicate their current level of development and the importance of each goal to them at the time of the survey. The list was divided into twelve goals for general education specified by NC State, sixteen goals related to student personal development, and seven goals related to student world view.

General Education

• The general education goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: ability to plan and carry out projects independently, developing good listening skills, and acquiring a broad general education. Males rated most of the mathematical- or science-based goals higher than did Females, while Females rated most communication skills and broad educational values higher than did Males. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for all goals except three.
• The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: ability to plan and carry out projects independently, developing computer skills, and ability to communicate ideas orally. Females rated seven goals significantly higher than did Males, particularly the goals related to communication and listening skills. A significant difference by ethnicity was found for only one goal.
• A comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas revealed that Transfer students rated ability to plan and carry out projects independently as highest in importance and current level of development. Yet, they rated developing computer skills and ability to communicate ideas orally high in importance but low in current level of development.

Personal Development

• The personal development goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: taking responsibility for my own behavior, viewing learning as a lifelong process, and being independent and self-reliant. Significant differences were found on half of the goals by gender and for three-fourths of the goals by ethnicity.
• The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: taking responsibility for my own behavior, having self-discipline, and managing my time. Significant differences by gender were found for all goals except two, with Females rating those fourteen goals higher than did Males. Slight significant differences by ethnicity were found for only three goals.
• A comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas revealed that Transfer students rated taking responsibility for my own behavior highest in both importance and current level of development. However, respondents felt managing my time was high in importance but rated their current level of development low for this goal.

World View

• The world view goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: valuing racial equity, valuing gender equity, and being able to interact and work with people from diverse backgrounds. Significant differences by gender were found on all goals, with Females rating five (all the diversity-related goals) of the seven goals higher than did Males. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for four goals.
• The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: valuing racial equity, valuing gender equity, and being able to interact and work with people from diverse backgrounds. Significant differences by gender were found on six of the seven goals, with Females rating these goals higher than did Males. No significant differences by ethnicity were found.
• An interesting finding was revealed when a comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas was made. Transfer students rated the same three world view goals as highest in importance and highest in their current level of development.

Interests and Background

Student Affairs Programs and Activities

• Transfer students were asked to indicate their interest in 26 NC State programs and activities. The highest percentage of respondents were interested in: fitness, Outdoor Adventures, intramurals, and the Co-Op program.

Financial Aid

• Thirty-three percent of Transfer students will be receiving need-based financial aid, with significantly more African-Americans and Other Minorities receiving need-based aid than Whites.

Income

• Transfer students were asked to report their 1994 pre-tax income if they were financially independent. Of the 291 students who responded to this question, forty-seven percent said they made $10,000 or less last year, and twenty-seven percent had an income between $10,001 and $20,000.

Parent/Guardian Education

• Sixty-six percent indicated that their father/male guardian had at least some college, and sixty percent indicated that their mother/female guardian had at least some college.

Employment During First Academic Year

• Almost three-fourths of Transfer students plan to be employed during the academic year, with twenty-six percent planning to work 20 or more hours a week.

Dependent Children

• Sixty-five Transfer students (10%) indicated that they had dependent children.

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Demographics

• The First-Year student respondent group had a higher percentage of minority students than did the Transfer group. More transfers entered into the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Management than beginning students. Transfer students were more likely to enroll part-time, to be married, and to have dependent children.

Marketing Research

• In order of preference, First-Year students were more influenced in their decision to attend NC State by the factors of academic reputation, availability of program, and facilities/resources available, while Transfer students were more influenced by availability of program, location, and academic reputation. Significant differences between the two groups were found for over half of the factors.

Educational Intent

• Over half (54%) of First-Year students reported that their primary goal or objective for attending NC State was to obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for further schooling, while Transfer students were closely split between obtaining a bachelor's degree as preparation for further schooling (47%) and as preparation for a career (40%).
• In terms of educational aspirations, more Transfer students (34%) plan to stop with a bachelor's degree than do First-Year students (28%).

Goals for Undergraduate Preparation

From a list of knowledge, skills, and personal development goals held by NC State for undergraduate preparation, First-Year and Transfer students were asked to indicate their current level of development and the importance of each goal to them at the time of the survey. The list was divided into twelve goals for general education specified by NC State, sixteen goals related to student personal development, and seven goals related to student world view.

General Education

• For the general education goals, significant differences on current level of development were found for over half of the goals. Specifically, Transfer students rated their development on developing good reading comprehension skills, ability to critically analyze events, information and ideas, and ability to plan and carry out projects independently significantly higher than did First-Year students.
• Significant differences between these two groups were found on the importance ratings of all the general development goals. In general, First-Year students rated mathematical- and science-related skills as more important than did Transfer students, while the reverse was true for most general education and humanities-related skills.
• Interestingly, Transfer students rated their level of development on understanding diverse cultures and values significantly higher than did First-Year students, but rated the importance of this goal significantly lower than did First-Year students.

Personal Development

• Significant differences were found on current level of development for over half of the personal development goals, with Transfer students rating eight of those nine goals higher than did First-Year students. In particular, Transfer students rated their development on taking responsibility for my own behavior and viewing learning as a lifelong process significantly higher than did First-Year students, although both groups rated these goals as their top two highest in development.
• On the importance of personal development goals, significant differences were found for all goals except one. Transfer students appeared to rate most self-concept issues as much more important that did First-Year students. Moreover, self-concept issues were rated higher in importance than most other personal development goals by Transfer students, in contrast to First-Year students.

World View

• First-Year students rated their current level of development on six of the seven world view goals significantly higher than did Transfer students. Transfer students rated valuing racial equity and valuing gender equity as their top two areas of development, but these areas were ranked much lower by First-Year students.
• Significant differences in importance were found for only three goals, with First-Year students rating all three significantly higher than did Transfer students. The most interesting finding was that First-Year students felt having a tolerance for different points of view was more important than did Transfer students.

Summary

• An interesting aspect of the findings on general education goals is that the skills rated differently by Transfer students tend to be more job-related or more often associated with what could reasonably be expected from more mature students. The maturity level of Transfer students was also apparent in the other goal areas. Transfer students appeared to have a more practical assessment of the importance of self-concept and a more realistic self-assessment of their development on diversity issues.

Background Information

• Almost one-third of both First-Year and Transfer respondents indicated that they will be receiving need-based financial aid. Significantly more First-Year students (25%) than Transfer students (7%) will be receiving academic aid.
• First-Year students generally reported a higher parent/guardian income than did Transfer students.
• More First-Year students than Transfer students reported that both parents/guardians had at least some college education.
• As expected, more Transfer students plan to work during their first academic year.
• First-Year students are more likely than Transfer students to plan on not restricting their job search to North Carolina after graduation.

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This report presents a profile of the 1995 entering Transfer students at NC State. It is based on responses to a survey given during three summer and fall Transfer orientation sessions. Students transferring into all programs, including the Agricultural Institute, were invited to orientation.

The total number of Transfer students who attended these orientation sessions was 906. A total of 670 usable surveys was analyzed, which represents 52.6% of the registered Transfer students for the fall 1995 semester. No significant differences by gender (Chi-sq. 0.0004, df=1, p<.01), by ethnicity (Chi-sq. 0.0209, df=2, p<.01), or by academic unit (Chi-sq. 4.43, df=9, p<.01) were observed between the sample obtained (survey respondents) and the population of registered students. No students transferring into the Agricultural Institute completed a survey instrument.

The 1995 survey was adapted from the 1995 First-Year Student Survey. Additional questions concerning issues specific to transfer students were included. A copy of the survey instrument is included in the appendix.

Summary statistics were calculated for the group as a whole and by gender, ethnicity, and academic unit (college/school). Tests of significance (Chi-square for frequency data, t-tests for gender means, and ANOVA with Duncan's multiple-range test for ethnicity means) were performed on all items. Selected items were also analyzed for significance by academic unit. The eleven sections of the report are outlined below.

Section I Demographics of the Transfer Class and Survey Respondents

Presents overall demographic profiles of the 1995 Transfer class and survey respondents.

Section II Transfer Student Issues

Reports responses to questions concerning student's experience with the transfer process (questions 10-20).

Section III Marketing Research

Presents those factors found to be influential in the decision to transfer to NC State (questions 2 and 3).

Section IV Educational Intent

Reports responses to several questions dealing with educational intent (questions 2, 4-9).

Section V General Education Goals

Provides ratings of current level of development and importance at the time of the survey of twelve goals for general education specified by NC State (question 21).

Section VI Personal Development Goals

Provides ratings of current level of development and importance at the time of the survey of sixteen goals related to student personal development (question 21).

Section VII World View Goals

Provides ratings of current level of development and importance at the time of the survey of seven goals related to student world view (question 21).

Section VIII Co-Curricular Interests

Presents responses to questions dealing with interest in co-curricular programs and activities (questions 22 and 23).

Section IX Background Information

Reports background information on areas such as financial aid received, employment plans, and other personal information (questions 24-31).

Section X Academic Unit Analysis

This section provides responses to selected questions by Transfer students enrolling in nine of NC State's eleven colleges and schools.

Section XI Comparison of 1995 First-Year and Transfer Respondents

This section presents a comparison of selected questions from the First-Year student survey and the Transfer student survey.

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This section presents the demographic breakdown of the 1995 Transfer class and of the survey respondents by gender, ethnicity, and academic unit. The Transfer class of 1995 numbered 1,235 four-year enrollees plus 38 enrollees in the Agricultural Institute (two-year program) for a total for this report of 1,273 fall enrollees. The total number of usable surveys was 670. No enrollees in the Agricultural Institute completed a usable survey.

Demographics by gender and ethnic group are listed in Table 1. The breakdown of the Transfer class by gender was: 41.6% Female and 58.4% Male; and by ethnicity was: 85.9% White, 4.8% African-American, and 9.3% Other Minorities. The breakdown of survey respondents by gender was: 41.5% Female and 58.5% Male; and by ethnicity was: 86.4% White, 4.6% African-American, and 9.0% Other Minorities.

Classifications by academic unit are presented in Table 2. Transfer students are not eligible to enroll in the First Year College. The remaining ten units are: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Bachelor's (CALS), Agricultural Institute - Two-Year (AG.IN.), School of Design (DSGN), College of Education and Psychology (ED/PSY), College of Engineering (ENGIN), College of Forest Resources (FOR), College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), College of Management (MGT), College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS), and College of Textiles (TEX). The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is divided into those students in the Bachelor's program and those in the Agricultural Institute (Two-Year). The largest percentage of entering Transfer students is in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (21.7%), followed closely by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (21.5%). Because only small numbers of students transferred into several of the academic units (especially the School of Design and the College of Textiles), and therefore small numbers completed a questionnaire, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results of this survey.

1995 Transfer Class

Thirty-nine percent of the Transfer class began their tenure at NC State as a First-Year student, 43% transferred in as a Sophomore, 15% began as third- through fifth-year students, and 3% transferred into the Agricultural Institute.

The last institution attended by three-fourths (78%) of the Transfer students was another North Carolina institution (see Table 3). Of the 975 Transfer students who last attended North Carolina institutions, almost half (47%) were from two-year institutions (see Table 4). Of the 343 transfers from North Carolina doctoral-level schools, 231 (67%) were from NC State.

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This section reports responses to questions concerning students' experience with the transfer process.

Admissions

Transfer students were asked their level of satisfaction with four admissions processes. The rating scale used was: 4 = Very Satisfied, 3 = Moderately Satisfied, 2 = Moderately Dissatisfied, and 1 = Dissatisfied. Results are presented in Table 5. Respondents were moderately satisfied with their admissions, academic advising, and registration experiences. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for two of the areas. African-Americans were significantly more satisfied (p<0.05) with the university and departmental admissions processes than were Other Minorities.

Table 6 lists the satisfaction with admissions processes by academic units. Significant differences (p<0.05) by unit were observed on satisfaction with the overall registration process and departmental admissions process.

Over two-thirds of Transfer students indicated that they were able to register for the courses they needed or wanted (see Table 7). Significant differences by ethnicity were found (p<0.05), with almost all (92%) of African-Americans responding that they were able to register for the courses they needed or wanted, as opposed to only 73% of Whites and 61% of Other Minorities. Significant differences (p<0.05) by academic unit were observed.

Only approximately one-fourth (23%) of Transfer students indicated that they were able to apply for university, college, or department scholarships (see Table 8). However, significantly more (p<0.01) Males (27%) than Females (17%) said they were able to apply for these scholarships. No significant differences were found by academic unit.

Courses Transferred

Transfer students were asked two questions about the number of their courses that actually transferred to NC State. The results for the first question are presented in Table 9. Sixty percent of the students responded that the number of courses that actually transferred was about the number they were led to believe would transfer by their previous institution. However, significantly more Males (p<0.01) than Females and more Whites and Other Minorities (p<0.001) than African-Americans said the number which transferred was less than they expected. Significant differences (p<0.05) by academic unit were observed.

More than two-thirds (71%) of Transfer students responded that the number of courses that actually transferred was about the number they were led to believe would transfer by their NC State department (see Table 10). Significantly (p<0.01) more Males (21%) than Females (16%) felt the number that transferred was less than they expected. Significant differences (p<0.01) by ethnicity were also found, with more Other Minorities (31%) than Whites (18%) or African-Americans (11%) indicating the number that transferred was less than they expected. No significant differences were found by academic unit.

Preparation for College

Three questions pertaining to preparation for college were asked of Transfer students. Results are presented in Tables 11 through 13. Over half (54%) of the respondents felt their previous institution had prepared them well for further study, and over half (52%) felt they had prepared themselves well for college. However, only 29% felt their high school had prepared them well for college, while 47% felt they were adequately prepared.

Significant differences were found for only one of the three questions. Table 12 reveals that significantly more (p<0.01) African-Americans (17%) than Whites (3%) or Other Minorities (3%) felt their last institution prepared them poorly for further study. Significant differences (p<0.05) were also found by academic unit for this question.

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This section presents those factors found to be influential in the decision to transfer to NC State.

Factors Influencing Transfer Decision

Transfer students were asked to indicate the extent that any of seventeen listed factors influenced their decision to transfer to NC State. The scale used was: 5 = Very Strong Influence, 4 = Strong Influence, 3 = Moderate Influence, 2 = Weak Influence, and 1 = Very Weak Influence. The means and standard deviations for each factor, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, is listed in Table 14.

Availability of program was rated as having the strongest influence on Transfer students' decision to transfer to NC State. Other strong influences were: location, academic reputation, and level of support for intended major. Females rated three of the factors as having a significantly stronger influence than did Males, especially location (p<0.001). Males rated attendance at a College Fair slightly stronger (p<0.05) than did Females.

Six factors were rated significantly different by the three ethnic groups. In particular, African-American respondents felt number of hours transferred/credited (p<0.05), scholarships and financial aid (p<0.01), and publications from NC State (p<0.01) were significantly stronger factors than did Whites.

Respondents were given a choice to list any other factor that they felt had an influence on their decision to transfer to NC State. Forty-six students provided an other factor. The overall mean for this category was 3.96 (SD = 1.40), which ranked as the second-strongest influence of all the factor choices. Factors listed in the other category by a number of respondents included: sports or athletics; ROTC, especially Navy ROTC; reputations of the College of Engineering, the School of Design, and the College of Veterinary Medicine; and the National Student Exchange program.

Significant differences were found by academic unit for seven of the factors (see Table 15). The breakdown of factors having the strongest influence by unit was: availability of program: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, School of Design, College of Engineering, College of Forest Resources, and College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; location: College of Education and Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Management; and level of support for my intended major: College of Textiles.

Table 15: (continued)

Single Most Influential Factor

After having rated the individual importance of factors affecting their decision to transfer to NC State, Transfer students were then asked to pick the single most influential factor in that decision. The factors are listed, in order from decreasing percentage chosen, in Table 16. The highest percentage chose availability of program (25%), followed by location (22%) and academic reputation (21%).

No significant differences were found by gender or by ethnicity. Females chose location (28%) as the single most influential factor while Males chose availability of program (27%). African-Americans (45%) and Other Minorities (28%) chose academic reputation as the single most influential factor while Whites chose availability of program (26%).

Table 17 lists the percentages of the top two single most influential factors chosen by the respondents in each academic unit. Availability of program was one of the top two influential factors for seven of the nine colleges/schools in the decision to transfer to NC State. Significant differences (p<0.001) by unit were found.

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This section reports responses to several questions dealing with educational intent.

Previous Institutions

Two-thirds (67%) of Transfer students indicated that they had attended only one institution before enrolling at NC State (see Table 18). Twenty-three percent had attended two institutions previously.

College Major

Ninety-one percent of Transfer students reported being certain or very certain of their college major (see Table 19). No significant differences by gender or ethnicity were found.

Intent

As reported in Table 20, the primary goal or objective for Transfer students attending NC State is to obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for further schooling (47%) or to obtain a bachelor's degree as preparation for a career (40%). Significant differences (p<0.001) were found by gender, with more Females (58%) than Males (39%) preparing for further schooling and more Males (46%) than Females (31%) preparing for a career.

Students were given a chance to list any other goal or objective that they felt was their primary reason for attending NC State. Very few students specified a separate goal. The only responses listed by more than one student were: to take courses for a year and then transfer, and to prepare for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

Educational Aspirations

Transfer students were asked the highest level of education they planned to complete. Table 21 reveals that over one-third (34%) plan to complete only a bachelor's degree, while forty-one percent plan to complete a master's degree. Significant differences were found by both gender (p<0.001) and ethnicity (p<0.01). More Males (41%) than Females (25%) plan to stop with a bachelor's degree, while more Females (33%) than Males (20%) plan to complete a doctoral or other professional degree. Forty-five percent of African-Americans plan to complete a doctoral or other professional degree, whereas only twenty-three percent of Whites and thirty-two percent of Other Minorities have such plans.

Time to Degree Completion

The data in Table 22 reveal that most Transfer students plan to complete their bachelor's degree in either two years (40%) or three years (45%). Significant differences were found by both gender (p<0.05) and ethnicity (p<0.01). More Males (50%) than Females (38%) plan to take three years to complete the degree. Two-thirds (68%) of African-Americans plan to complete the degree in two years, but fewer Whites (39%) and Other Minorities (40%) plan to take only two years.

Enrollment

Transfer students' responses to two questions concerning their enrollment plans are presented in Tables 23 and 24. Just over half (52%) of the respondents plan to enroll in 15 or more credit hours of classes, and forty percent plan to enroll in 12-14 credit hours of classes. Only eleven percent of Transfer students plan to take the majority of their courses in the late afternoon and evening hours.

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This section provides Transfer students' ratings of twelve goals for general education specified by NC State. Respondents were asked their current level of development in these goals as well as the importance of each goal to them at the time of the survey.

The means and standard deviations for level of development, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 25. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very High, 4 = High, 3 = Average, 2 = Low, and 1 = Very Low. The general education goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: ability to plan and carry out projects independently, developing good listening skills, and acquiring a broad general education.

Significant differences by gender were found on development ratings for all goals except two. Males rated most of the mathematical- or science-based goals higher than did Females, while Females rated most communication skills and broad educational values higher than did Males. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for all goals except three. In particular, African-Americans rated their level of development on ability to communicate ideas in writing and ability to communicate ideas orally higher than Whites, who in turn rated their level of development higher than Other Minorities.

The means and standard deviations for goal importance, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 26. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very Important, 4 = Important, 3 = Moderately Important, 2 = Of Limited Importance, and 1 = Not Important. The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: ability to plan and carry out projects independently, developing computer skills, and ability to communicate ideas orally.

Significant differences by gender were found for all goals except three. Females rated seven goals significantly higher than did Males, particularly the goals related to communication and listening skills. A significant difference by ethnicity was found only for understanding diverse cultures and values, with African-Americans rating this goal significantly higher than did Whites.

A comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas revealed that Transfer students rated ability to plan and carry out projects independently as highest in importance and current level of development. Yet, they rated developing computer skills and ability to communicate ideas orally high in importance but low in current level of development.

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This section provides Transfer students' ratings of sixteen goals related to student personal development. Respondents were asked their current level of development in these goals as well as the importance of each goal to them at the time of the survey.

The means and standard deviations for level of development, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 27. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very High, 4 = High, 3 = Average, 2 = Low, and 1 = Very Low. The personal development goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: taking responsibility for my own behavior, viewing learning as a lifelong process, and being independent and self-reliant.

Significant differences by gender were found on half of the goals. In particular, Females rated viewing learning as a lifelong process higher than Males did, whereas Males rated having self-confidence and handling stress higher than did Females. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for three-fourths of the goals, with African-Americans rating those twelve goals the highest among all three ethnic groups. Of note is the difference in the goal of being independent and self-reliant. African-Americans rated their level of development on this goal higher than did Whites, who in turn rated their level of development higher than Other Minorities did.

The means and standard deviations for goal importance, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 28. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very Important, 4 = Important, 3 = Moderately Important, 2 = Of Limited Importance, and 1 = Not Important. The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: taking responsibility for my own behavior, having self-discipline, and managing my time.

Significant differences by gender were found for all goals except two, with Females rating those fourteen goals higher than did Males. Significant differences by ethnicity were found only for three goals. African-Americans rated realizing my potential for success and clarifying personal identity higher than the other two ethnic groups did, and rated having self-discipline significantly higher than Other Minorities did.

A comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas revealed that Transfer students rated taking responsibility for my own behavior highest in both importance and current level of development. However, respondents felt managing my time was high in importance but rated their current level of development low for this goal.

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This section provides Transfer students' ratings of seven goals related to student world view. Respondents were asked their current level of development in these goals as well as the importance of each goal to them at the time of the survey.

The means and standard deviations for level of development, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 29. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very High, 4 = High, 3 = Average, 2 = Low, and 1 = Very Low. The world view goals in which Transfer students indicated the highest current level of development were: valuing racial equity, valuing gender equity, and being able to interact and work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Significant differences by gender were found on all goals, with Females rating five (all the diversity-related goals) of the seven higher than did Males. Significant differences by ethnicity were found for four goals. African-Americans rated valuing racial equity and valuing gender equity higher than did the other two ethnic groups.

The means and standard deviations for goal importance, ranked from highest to lowest means for the total group, are displayed in Table 30. The rating scale used was: 5 = Very Important, 4 = Important, 3 = Moderately Important, 2 = Of Limited Importance, and 1 = Not Important. The goals Transfer students indicated were most important to them were: valuing racial equity, valuing gender equity, and being able to interact and work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Significant differences by gender were found on six of the seven goals, with Females rating these goals higher than did Males. No significant differences by ethnicity were found.

An interesting finding was revealed when a comparison between the importance of these goals and the perceived current level of development in these areas was made. Transfer students rated the same three world view goals as highest in importance and highest in their current level of development.

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This section presents responses to questions dealing with interest in co-curricular programs and activities. Transfer students were asked to indicate their interest in 26 NC State programs and activities. Additionally, they were asked whether they wanted their name provided to the University office in charge of the programs and activities in which they expressed an interest. The data in Table 31 reveal that ninety percent of the respondents gave permission to release their names.

Table 32 presents the percentage of respondents interested in each program or activity, in decreasing percentage order. The highest percentage of respondents were interested in the following programs or activities: fitness (49%), Outdoor Adventures (44%), intramurals (38%), and the Co-Op program (34%).

There were varying significant differences (p<0.05 or greater) found for both gender and ethnicity. For instance, Females were more interested than Males in fitness, healthy lifestyle issues, and Volunteer Services, whereas Males were more interested than Females in intramurals and club sports. African-Americans were more interested in social fraternity/sorority activities than were Whites or Other Minorities, and Whites were more interested in Outdoor Adventures than were the other two ethnic groups. Females and African-Americans were more interested in programs/services for children and families and gender issues than were their comparison groups.