Survey Highlights: 2019 Fall CIRP Freshman Survey
The annual CIRP Freshman Survey allows the College to collect extensive data on first-year (FY) students’ demographic characteristics, high school experiences, college selection decisions, self-ratings of abilities, values and personal goals, and expectations for college. The Office of Institutional Analysis administered the survey to Gettysburg Fall 2019 FY cohort on the first day of class in Fall 2019. The response rate was 95%. Below are some highlights from the survey.
Top Reasons for Going to College
The top 4 reasons for Gettysburg 2019 FY students to go to college are: to be able to get a better job; to learn more about things that interest me; to gain a general education and appreciation of ideas; and to be able to make more money. The chart below shows % of Gettysburg FY students ranking a reason as "very important" in deciding to go to college:
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| To be able to get a better job | 89% |
| To learn more about things that interest me | 86% |
| To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas | 80% |
| To be able to make more money | 76% |
| To get training for a specific career | 69% |
| To prepare myself for graduate or professional school | 64% |
| To make me a more cultured person | 57% |
| To please my family | 38% |
Top Reasons for Attending Gettysburg
The very good academic reputation of Gettysburg has continued to be the most important reason for students to choose to attend Gettysburg. Gettysburg FY students have consistently marked almost the same top reasons over the past few years. Below are the top 6 reasons for attending Gettysburg among 2019 FY students (% reporting a reason as “very important” in deciding to attend Gettysburg):
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| This college has a very good academic reputation | 75% |
| This college's graduates get good jobs | 67% |
| I was offered financial assistance | 64% |
| A visit to this campus | 64% |
| I wanted to go to a school about the size of this college | 60% |
| This college has a good reputation for its social and extracurricular activities | 54% |
Top Reasons for Attending Their Current Institution
Gettysburg 2019 FY students were more likely than FY students in the Peer Group to attend their current institution because of the following reasons (% reporting a reason as “very important”):
| Reason | Gettysburg College | Peer Group |
|---|---|---|
| This college's graduates get good jobs | 67% | 50% |
| I was offered financial assistance | 64% | 50% |
| The academic reputation of my intended major | 47% | 41% |
| This college's graduates gain admission to top graduate/professional schools | 44% | 38% |
| The cost of attending this college | 42% | 35% |
Intended Major and Degree Aspirations
Gettysburg 2019 FY students reported the following intended undergraduate majors:
80% of Gettysburg 2019 FY students planned to obtain a Master’s degree or higher.
| Intended Major | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Political Science | 13% |
| Business (inc. Management [4.1%]) | 11% |
| Health Professions | 9% |
| Biology (general) | 7% |
| Psychology | 7% |
| Economics | 5% |
| History | 4% |
| Computer Science | 3% |
| Environmental Science | 3% |
| Education | 2% |
| Music | 2% |
| Undecided | 14% |
| Other | 19% |
Political Views
More Gettysburg FY students characterized their political views as “Liberal” than “Conservative” while close to 40% of them characterized their political views as “Middle-of-the-road".
| Political Views | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Far left | 4% | 5% |
| Liberal | 35% | 35% |
| Middle-of-the-road | 35% | 39% |
| Conservative | 23% | 18% |
| Far right | 2% | 3% |
Note: The Peer Group includes 14 highly selective private liberal arts colleges. Five of them were ranked among the Top 25 national liberal arts colleges (based on the 2020 U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings); five, between 26th and 50th; and four, between 51th and 72th.