UC Berkeley Press Release

The ABCs of new-student surveys: how they're conducted

Today's installment is based on the 2007 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), along with two smaller questionnaires for fall 2007 conducted by the campus's Office of Student Research (OSR) — the Survey of New Freshman Students and the Survey of New Transfer Students. The latter two are online questionnaires on new students' preparation for and expectations about UC Berkeley, administered in late summer as students anticipate their first semester on campus (while UCUES is taken at the end of spring semester, after students have some campus experience).

"New freshman" refers to students coming directly from high school; most of them are 18. "New transfer students" are those beginning at Berkeley for the first time after attending another college or university, typically with two years (60 units) of college credit transferable to UC.

The campus had 2,994 new freshmen and 1,429 new transfer students in fall 2007; the response rate for both groups was robust (69% and 67% respectively). Surveyed in the summer prior to their first semester, "they have lots of time and they're eager," explains Debbie Ellis, who manages new-student surveys for the Office of Student Research.

Return to "The undergrad lowdown."