Go Bulldogs! Go Pilots! Choosing a University to Attend.

Education is a great equalizer in our society (Johnson-Bailey, Baumgartner, & Bowles, 2010). It provides an opportunity for people to become better versions of themselves and gives them the skills and knowledge to succeed in the world (Johnson-Bailey, Baumgartner, & Bowles, 2010). In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, college graduates, ages 25-32, who are working full-time are making an average of $17,500 more than their peers who did not attend college (Is College Worth It, 2014). Obtaining a college degree is an important goal for many Americans.

However, one of the first steps in reaching this goal is deciding which university to attend. There are many different factors that are considered when choosing a college or university (Bateman & Spruill, 1996). Do I want to attend a two-year college or a four-year university? Do I meet the qualifications? Does the university or college I want to attend have the major I want? Can I receive financial aid from the college or university I want to attend? Do I want to stay close to home? Do I want to go to a big university or small university? Do I care about university athletics? Can I play athletics on a scholarship at a university? These are only a few of the factors that prospective students consider when choosing a university or college to attend. This process prospective students go through when choosing a college is called college choice (Bateman & Spruill, 1996).

In a research study conducted by Reynolds (2006), over 13,782 students at 46 different institutions of higher education in the United States completed a survey designed to determine the institutional characteristics they felt were essential for their college to have during the college choice process. The purpose of this study was to determine if physical assets on a university such as buildings, landscaping, and other tangible resources have an impact on students' college choices. The study found the top five most essential factors a university must have as identified by the participants were the major they were interested in, excellent teachers, preparation for a career, accessible professors, and the opportunity for customizable education (Reynolds, 2006). The least essential characteristics were the opportunity to play college athletics; climate; recommendations from friends and family; extracurricular opportunities; and an attractive campus. The demographic make-up of the participants were 85% non-Hispanic whites, 4% Hispanic, 4% Asian American, and 3% African American. Sixty-eight percent of participants were female, and 32% were male. The study also focused on the different levels of importance men and women placed on certain factors when choosing a university (Reynolds, 2006). However, there was no analysis or findings for students from different demographic backgrounds (Reynolds, 2006).

I have always found this topic to be interesting. Why do students choose the colleges they choose? What factors do they consider? Why? Are factors different because of race or gender or socioeconomic status? As a result, my doctoral dissertation will look at the different factors that 18-24 African-American females consider when choosing a university or college or going through the college choice process. This study will be look at the possible correlation between traditional African-American female students (18-24 years old) and socioeconomic status as well as several other factors that could be identified. The study will utilize ASQ+ data over the past 10 years obtained from the College Board.

The research questions this quantitative study proposes to answer are:

• What considerations do traditional first-time African-American female college students make when deciding on which universities or colleges to attend?

• Is there a correlation between traditional first-time African American female college students and their socioeconomic statuses when determining what universities to attend?

• Are there other determining factors such as GPA, SAT scores, parents’ education, cost of attendance, financial aid, or distance from home to their chosen universities that traditional first-time African American female college students use when making their college decisions?

• Do websites, marketing materials, visits to college campuses, specialized programs, buildings, or extracurricular activities play a role in their college decisions?

• What processes, if any, do traditional first-time African American female college students use when choosing their universities or colleges? What college choice model, if any, do traditional first-time African American female college students use when choosing their universities or colleges?

• Are there trends based on traditional first-time African female college students, socioeconomic status, and how they choose their universities based on 10 years of ASQ+ data?

The proposed methodology is correlation and descriptive statistical analyses using ASQ+ data obtained by the College Board in order to determine the factors that lead to college choice.

This research could prove to be very beneficial to colleges and universities across the country because of the current landscape of higher education. Since state funding allocated to higher education has decreased dramatically over the past 10 years, universities and colleges are more dependent on student enrollment for funding than ever. As a result, understanding why different groups of students choose the universities and colleges they do, could prove to be critical to the success of institutions of higher education, because strategic recruiting plans can lead to increased student enrollment.

References:

Bateman, M., & Spruill, D. (1996). Student decision-making: Insights from the college choice process. College Student Journal, 30, 182-187. Retrieved from:

http://ezproxy.latech.edu:3118/eds/detail?vid=24&sid=ef03e5d8-85c7-49ea-a40c-

519f2fac8af9%40sessionmgr198&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2Nvc

GU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=9708040688

Is college worth it? (2014, April 5). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21600131-too-many-degrees-are-waste- money-return-higher-education-would-be-much-better

Johnson-Bailey, J., Baumgartner, L., & Bowles, T. (2010). Social justice in adult and continuing

education. In Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education. Los Angeles: Sage.

Reynolds, G. L. (2007). The impact of facilities on recruitment and retention of students.

New Directions for Institutional Research, 135, 63-80. doi:10.1002/ir.223

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