Quantitative Analysis
> > First-years' views by the numbers

A recent national survey of college freshmen confirms a common portrait of the U of C student: one who places a greater value on intellectual riches than material wealth.

Last fall, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) conducted its 34th annual survey to see how freshmen view themselves, their goals, and current social issues. Founded in 1966 by the American Council on Education and now based at UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, CIRP is the nation's oldest and largest empirical study of higher education.

A total of 261,217 students at 462 colleges were polled, with responses from 767 students in the U of C's class of 2003 compared to those of freshmen at 20 "highly selective" private universities. Among the more telling findings, 44 percent of U of C first-years expect to earn a Ph.D., versus only 29 percent of freshmen in the peer group; 52 percent consider getting a good job an important incentive for attending college, compared to 65 percent; and 88 percent came to college to gain an appreciation of ideas, versus 77 percent.--E.C.