23.

Select three characteristic from the list above that are most
important to you in choosing a college. Write the number that
corresponds to that feature.
a. MOST important characteristic? ______
b. SECOND important characteristic?____
c. THIRD important characteristic?______
24.Are there characteristics other than those listed
above that you consider important in
choosing a college?
___NO
___YES, Please List
Study of College Choice
Berkeley Davis Irvine Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Santa Cruz
COLLEGE CHARACTERISTIC IMPORTANCE RATING
Not Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Very
Important
1. Prestigious, well-known reputation
2. Availability of majors that interest you
3. Faculty are accessible to students
4. Quality and availability of on-campus housing
5. Quality of academic facilities (library, labs, computing)
6. Provides students individual guidance & attention
7. Cost of attendance
8. Diverse student body
9. Off-campus cultural & recreational opportunities
10. On-campus cultural and recreational opportunities
11. Faculty are leaders in their fields
12. Part of the state/country in which the college is located
13. Surroundings (neighborhood, town, city)
14. Prominent intercollegiate athletic programs
15. Availability of internships & practical career experiences
16. Quality of your intended major
17. Attractiveness of the campus
18. Graduates get into good graduate & professional schools
19. Graduates get jobs in their chosen fields
20. Comfortable, friendly campus community
21. Size of the student body
22. Campus is safe for all students

IMPORTANT: Please use a soft No.2 lead pencil to indicate your response. If you change your
response to any item, erase your first mark completely and then mark the correct oval.
Section I. College Characteristics
Before deciding which school to attend, students consider many college characteristics such as those
below. Please indicate how important each characteristic was to you in making your choice.
23. Select three characteristic from the list above that are most
important to you in choosing a college. Write the number that
corresponds to that feature.
a. MOST important characteristic? ______
b. SECOND important characteristic?____
c. THIRD important characteristic?______
24.Are there characteristics other than those listed
above that you consider important in
choosing a college?
___NO
___YES, Please List
Study of College Choice
Berkeley Davis Irvine Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Santa Cruz
COLLEGE CHARACTERISTIC IMPORTANCE RATING
Not Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Very
Important
1. Prestigious, well-known reputation
2. Availability of majors that interest you
3. Faculty are accessible to students
4. Quality and availability of on-campus housing
5. Quality of academic facilities (library, labs, computing)
6. Provides students individual guidance & attention
7. Cost of attendance
8. Diverse student body
9. Off-campus cultural & recreational opportunities
10. On-campus cultural and recreational opportunities
11. Faculty are leaders in their fields
12. Part of the state/country in which the college is located
13. Surroundings (neighborhood, town, city)
14. Prominent intercollegiate athletic programs
15. Availability of internships & practical career experiences
16. Quality of your intended major
17. Attractiveness of the campus
18. Graduates get into good graduate & professional schools
19. Graduates get jobs in their chosen fields
20. Comfortable, friendly campus community
21. Size of the student body
22. Campus is safe for all students

IMPORTANT: Please use a soft No.2 lead pencil to indicate your response. If you change your
response to any item, erase your first mark completely and then mark the correct oval.
Section I. College Characteristics
Before deciding which school to attend, students consider many college characteristics such as those
below. Please indicate how important each characteristic was to you in making your choice.
CHARACTERISTICS MOST
IMPORTANT TO COLLEGE
CHOICE
Ouestion 23 {8ection } asks respon-
dents to review the twenty-two items
in the preceding questions and iden-
tify the three MO8T important charac-
teristics to them in choosing a college.
Survey Results: Question 23
Characteristics Rated MOST
Important:
All Admits
by Gender:
All Admits by Gender
by Ethnicity*:
African-American
American Indian
Asian-American
Latin-American
Mexican-American
White
* NOTE: Results include supplemental sample
and are weighted proportionate to the ethnic
distriubtion of the total admit pool.
To see
Survey
Results,
click on
chart links
below.
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
t
y
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e
A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
All Admits
When asked to identify the three
characteristics that were most im-
portant to their college choice deci-
sions, respondents most often
named the academic offerings spe-
cific to majors (availability of ma-
jors that interest you and quality
of your intended major). College
outcomes (graduates get jobs in
their chosen fields and graduates
get into good graduate & profes-
sional schools) are also high in the
ranks of the most important.
Although only 46% of respondents
rated cost of attendance as very
important to their college choice
decision, a relatively large propor-
tion named it one of the three most
important characteristics (22%).
Although only 43% of respondents
rated a prestigious, well-known
reputation as very important to
their college choice decision, a rela-
tively large proportion named it one
of the three most important charac-
teristics (25%).
0
10
20
30
40
50
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
G
r
a
d
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t

C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
S
i
z
e
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
Female Male
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits by Gender--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
All Admits by Gender
Large proportions of both
males and females rank
quality of intended major,
availability of majors and
academic outcomes among
the three most important
characteristics in their col-
lege choices.
Males are more likely than
females to rank institutional
prestige as one of the char-
acteristics most important to
their choice of college.
Females are more likely to
cite a comfortable, friendly
campus community as one
of the three characteristics
most i mportant to thei r
choice of college. They are
also more likely to name
campus safety.
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
African-American All Admits
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: African-American--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
African-American
More often than any
other ethnic group,
African-American ad-
mits rank a diverse
student body as one
of the three most im-
portant characteris-
tics in their choice of
college.
0
10
20
30
40
50
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
Asian All Admits
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: Asian--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
Asian American
Asian-American admits
are even more likely than
admits as a whole to in-
dicate that the following
were among the three
most important charac-
teristics to them in choos-
ing a college: quality of
major, institutional
prestige, eligibility for
graduate schools, and
ability to get jobs.
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
American Indian All Admits
*Warning: Small sample size.
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: American ndian--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
American Indian
American Indian ad-
mits are more likely
than admi ts from
other ethnic groups to
name individual at-
tention, faculty ac-
cessibility, or sur-
roundings as among
the characteristics
that were most im-
portant to their choice
of college.
American Indian ad-
mits are less likely
than admi ts from
other ethnic groups to
name getting into
graduate school or,
especially, getting a
job in their field as a
characteristic that
was among the three
most important to
their choice of col-
lege.
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
Latin-American All Admits
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: Latin-American--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
Latin-American
Latin-American ad-
mits rank cost of at-
tendance as one of
the three most impor-
tant factors in their
college choice more
often than other ad-
mits (32% vs 23% of
all admits).
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
Mexican-American All Admits
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: Mexican-American--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
Mexican-American
Mexican-American
admi ts are more
likely than most other
admits to rank cost
of attendance, in-
dividual attention
and the availability
of interships among
the three most impor-
tant factors in their
college choice.
Mexican-American
admits are less likely
than admi ts from
other ethnic groups to
name a prestigious
reputation among
the characteristics
most important to
their choice of a col-
lege.
0
10
20
30
40
Q
u
a
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

m
a
j
o
r
s
G
e
t

i
n
t
o

g
r
a
d

s
c
h
o
o
l
P
r
e
s
t
i
g
i
o
u
s
G
r
a
d
u
a
t
e
s

g
e
t

j
o
b
s
C
o
s
t
C
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
,

f
r
i
e
n
d
l
y
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l

a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
A
v
a
i
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

o
f

i
n
t
e
r
n
s
h
i
p
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
l
e
A
c
a
d
e
m
i
c

f
a
c
i
l
i
t
i
e
s
S
u
r
r
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
s
S
a
f
e
A
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
v
e

c
a
m
p
u
s
F
a
c
u
l
t
y

a
r
e

l
e
a
d
e
r
s
S
i
z
e

A
t
h
l
e
t
i
c
s
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
f
f
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

r
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
O
n
-
c
a
m
p
u
s

h
o
u
s
i
n
g
D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
%

o
f

R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s

N
a
m
i
n
g

I
n

T
o
p

T
h
r
e
e

M
o
s
t

I
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
White All Admits
Characteristics Most Important to College Choice
--All Admits: White--
Survey of Fall 1998 New from High School Students
White
Whi te admi ts are
more likely than ad-
mits from other ethnic
groups to rank a
friendly, comfort-
able campus com-
munity or location
among the three most
important character-
istics in their choice of
college.
Whi te admi ts are
somewhat less likely
than other ethni c
groups to rank cost
of attendance as a
characteristic that
was most important to
their college choice.