Noel-Levitz Study Finds First-Year College Students Lacking Confidence in Math and Science Skills

First-Generation Students Bring Concerns about Finances

IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When they arrived at college last fall, nearly half of today's first-year college students lacked confidence in their math and science skills, according to the 2008 National Freshman Attitudes Report released today by Noel-Levitz, the nation's leading higher education consulting firm.

The report, which is based on data collected in the summer and fall of 2007 from 92,894 incoming students at 302 institutions, also shows differences in attitudes between first-generation students and freshmen whose parents have some college background. First-generation and non-first-generation students, on the whole, rated themselves similarly low on various measures of academic confidence, including math, science, and verbal skills. Outside the classroom, however, greater contrasts were evident, as more first-generation students indicated they were burdened by financial concerns.

Among the findings:

1. -- Approximately 46 percent of all respondents reported having difficulty with complex math problems, and almost 43 percent noted that math "has always been a challenge" for them. This concern about math was even higher among students at two-year institutions.
2. -- Only 47 percent of respondents admitted they "get a great deal of satisfaction from reading"; 34 percent said they have difficulty organizing ideas in a paper and tend to make punctuation and grammar mistakes.
3. -- Students indicated high levels of receptivity to assistance from a variety of campus services, including instruction in the most effective ways to take college exams and help in improving study habits. Most students were also interested in career counseling.
4. -- First-generation students were more concerned about finances with only 39 percent indicating that they have the financial resources to finish college compared to 51 percent of students whose parents have some college background.
5. -- Thirty-four percent of first-generation students expected to work more than 20 hours per week compared to 21 percent of non-first-generation students.
6. -- Ninety-five percent of first-year students arrived highly motivated to complete a degree, an attitude that was consistent across institution types, racial/ethnic groups, and parent educational background.

The complete report can be found online at http://www.noellevitz.com/freshmanreport.

Noel-Levitz (http://www.noellevitz.com) is a nationally recognized higher education consulting firm that specializes in strategic planning for enrollment and student success.