Although 81 percent of students were accepted by their first-choice colleges, only 64 percent went on to attend that dream school, an annual survey on college freshmen conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles showed.
The survey, "The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2007," reports that 39 percent of students, up five percentage points from last year, cited the provision of financial assistance as a major factor in selecting the college they attend. Thirty-seven percent also cited the cost of attending as important aspects of their decisions.
"Rising college costs are going up faster than financial aid is being made available to people who need it most. So it is not surprising that students are taking costs and the availability of aid into account when choosing a school, and that may become more important as costs continue to rise," said Lauren Asher, associate director of the Project on Student Debt, an initiative that seeks to increase public understanding of the current trends in borrowing money to finance higher education.
On how such concerns about the costs of colleges will affect Brown, one of the few Ivies that has yet to revamp its financial aid program, Asher said, "Brown should look at what other schools are doing - not only Yale and Harvard, but also schools that have made more modest commitments, because they want to attract students across the income spectrum."
Although college costs are rising, the percentage of currently enrolled students with major concerns about paying for college is falling. The survey reported that more than half of students had some concerns about financing college, but that only 10 percent had major concerns that they might not have enough funds to complete college. In the 1995-96 survey, however, 19 percent of students reported major concerns about financing college. John Pryor, managing director of the study, said a possible explanation for the decrease in concern is the expanded focus by colleges on providing financial aid. He added that the survey has shown an increase in "the median income of families who are sending children to college."
The number one factor in college selection, noted as "very important" by 63 percent of students interviewed, was that the school have "a very good academic reputation." Fifty-two percent said they chose their school because its "graduates get good jobs," making this the second-most common response. The students surveyed were optimistic about their chances for success after graduation, with 79 percent saying they believed that "through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society."
Sixty-six percent of college freshmen nationwide said they believed the main benefit of a college degree is increased earn potential in the future, the survey showed. Many Brown first-years, however, disagree.
Jordan Worthington '11 said she thinks most Brown students "are here more to just learn and to enrich their learning experience, rather than ... to earn more money in life."
A college education "provides a good background not just academically but for life," Ipsita Krishnan '11 said.
Raisa Aziz '11 agreed, saying that the purpose is to "broaden your sense of the world, meet new people, network (and) discover new things." It's "more about the process of self discovery and education than anything else," she added.
Brown students acknowledged the importance of a college education in relation to career opportunities and earning power, but agreed that education, the opportunity to broaden one's mind and general life experience were equally or more significant aspects. "It's true that without a college degree you can't get far nowadays, but I don't think that's why people come [to Brown]," said Andrea Dillon '11 said.
"Education opens your mind, and that's why people get an education. I think if you're doing it for the money you're doing it for the wrong reasons," Arune Gulati '11 said.
Though some Brown first-years report having applied to 10 or even 15 schools, 60 percent of freshmen nationwide say they applied to fewer than five, a figure that has remained nearly constant for the past three years. Nationwide, only 13 percent of students said they applied to eight or more schools.
In its opinions section, the survey showed a generally liberal bent in students, with many supporting abortion rights and national health care and opposing the draft. Still, 48 percent of students reported that "undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education" and nearly a quarter of students agreed that "it is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships."
The survey also found that many students were concerned about the environment - 80 percent agreed that the federal government is not doing enough to control pollution.
The survey was based on responses from over 270,000 of the 1.4 million students entering 356 four-year colleges and universities nationwide in the fall of 2007.
