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November 28, 2005
Class
of 2005 gives high marks to Emory experience
By Eric Rangus & Jessica Gearing
According to a recently released survey of the Class
of 2005, 88 percent of Emory’s most recent group of graduates
were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with
the quality of their instruction, and 84 percent believed that, after
spending four years on campus, Emory was the right choice for their
undergraduate education.
“The survey gives outgoing seniors the opportunity to improve the lives
of future students at Emory,” said Daniel Teodorescu, director of the Office
of Institutional Research, which conducted the study.
Data from the responses of 363 students (37 percent
of the graduating class) who graduated from Emory College in May
were collected through
an online survey
between Feb. 1 and April 30, 2005.
Satisfaction is high in other areas, as well, particularly
relationships with faculty. Some 97 percent of respondents said faculty
had challenged
them intellectually
and had provided prompt feedback about their work. Three-quarters said they
had the opportunity to work with faculty on a research project. About 43 percent
report having had frequent conversations or discussions with faculty outside
the classroom—up slightly from 2004.
Students were most satisfied with library services
and facilities (4.24 on a five-point scale), computer services (4.17),
and campus
safety and security
(3.94).
They were least satisfied with parking (2.94) and financial aid services (3.00),
although financial aid satisfaction has been on a steady upswing after the
Class of 2003 rated it just 2.69 on a scale of one to five.
Interest in the liberal arts is increasing. Of all
the students working toward another degree following graduation,
24 percent were seeking
an M.A. or M.S.
(up 2 percent). Those seeking law degrees rose points to 22 percent, while
students working toward a medical degree dropped three points to 25 percent
(in 2003,
that rate was 31 percent).
Regarding community engagement, 87 percent of students
said they had participated in community service or volunteer work
at Emory,
and 79 percent belonged to
an academic club or organization. They were most satisfied with opportunities
to
attend lectures featuring faculty, students or guest speakers (82 percent)
and intramural athletic opportunities (69 percent). Satisfaction with the mutual
respect and good will among students from different backgrounds was graded
much
higher by the Class of 2005 (3.63 on a scale of 1 to 5) than the Class of 2004
(3.39).
Other statistics include 44 percent of respondents
indicating they “often” or “very
often” attended an artistic event, more than twice the rate of other
schools rated by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
Blowing off steam is important, too. Seventy-six percent
of respondents exercise (versus 55 percent for other NSSE schools),
and about
25 percent indicate they
spend more than 20 hours a week relaxing or socializing. Only 12 percent
of students at other NSSE schools do so.
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