Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Tale of two cities
A ounce of prevention
Foods and nutrition professor’s research gets down to the basics
Webb to coordinate undergraduate minority recruitment
Faculty honored for teaching, influence on students
Newsmakers
Administrative Changes
The big chill
Admissions office checks data on why students enroll--or don’t
By Sharron Hannon

Knowing why students choose to enroll at the University of Georgia is important information for the Office of Admissions. But knowing why students--particularly high-achieving minority students--either don’t enroll or don’t even apply is a particular concern as the university tries to formulate strategies to increase the diversity of the student body.
To get some answers, the admissions office periodically commissions surveys. Every other year, the office participates in a national assessment of students offered admission to colleges, the College Board’s Admitted Student Questionnaire. The survey provides information about students admitted to UGA--including those who actually enroll and those who choose to attend other schools.
In addition, the admissions office conducted a phone survey this summer through the Survey Research Center to gather data on minority students who were admitted and chose not to attend UGA, as well as high-achieving minority students who never applied to UGA.
According to Nancy McDuff, director of undergraduate admissions, some common themes run through the results:
• Students make their college decision based on academic factors. Academic reputation and the availability of specific programs and majors drives their final choice, and this holds true regardless of the race of the respondent. “Our need to plan for growth in high-demand majors is vital in retaining these good students,” she says.
• For some students, cost is another major factor. “While the HOPE Scholarship program certainly helps to drive the final college choice for those from Georgia, we may be losing ground by not paying attention to aid for other students,” McDuff says.
• UGA’s main competition is Georgia Tech, although there is a widening range of schools with which the university competes for students. “This is true for African-American students as well as for all students,” she notes, though the state’s historically black colleges and universities are another lure.
• As UGA continues to draw students with excellent academic credentials, access to faculty becomes more important in their final choice. “While we are focusing on putting faculty more in contact with prospective students in the recruitment programs, this will need to be a more important factor in the future,” McDuff says. UGA’s size is viewed as a plus by some students and a negative by others, she points out. “But the stronger the student, the more likely that they are seeking personal attention at their school of choice.”
This year’s College Board survey indicated that students are much more likely to use Web sites for gaining information about schools than previously. Some 77 percent named the Web as a source of information. Other sources include campus visits and contacts with students or faculty.
Having a family member who attended UGA is an important “first contact.” For others, a visit or call from school representatives or a college fair or high school counselor often provides the initial introduction. Findings from the Survey Research Center phone survey indicate that the high school counselor may play a more pivotal role for African-American students than others, McDuff says. “But in any case, strong and positive bonds with the family still seem to account for building the reputation of a school.”
The phone survey of non-enrolling minority students found that a high percentage--more than 95 percent--said they had a favorable impression of the University of Georgia. The small number of students who said they had an unfavorable impression listed “academics” and “size” as the reasons.
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