|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
SURVEY CAUTIONS, "DON’T
SKIP THE COLLEGE VISIT"
Study Finds That College Students Who
Visit Schools Prior
To Enrolling Are Happier With Their Choice
PHILADELPHIA – (September 6, 2001) – Before choosing a college, visit it first. According to a national telephone survey of college graduates, of students who went away to college, only 20 percent of those who visited prior to enrolling regret their decision, while close to 40 percent of those who did not visit are unhappy with their choice.
Bruskin Research conducted the survey and found that students who fail to visit their college prior to enrolling are significantly more likely to regret their school choice than those who visit. The survey also found the off-campus experience to have significant impact in determining a student’s happiness at college. The study was commissioned by Campus Visit/Philadelphia, a coalition of 17 Philadelphia-area colleges and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC).
The College Visit & College Choice
Four hundred and thirteen college graduates, age 25 to 59 and made up evenly between men and women, were interviewed. According to the survey, almost a quarter of all college graduates who lived away from home are dissatisfied with their alma mater; however, for students who visited campus before enrolling, the results are more optimistic.
"Careful selection is a key to satisfaction with one’s alma mater, and the college visit is a powerful tool for critical selection," says Julie Spesaison, Bruskin Research vice president and research director. "This research urges parents to view the college visit as mandatory before making any college choice."
"The campus visit is the most critical step in the college selection process," says Todd Hoffman, executive director of Campus Visit/Philadelphia, which helps families plan better, more educational college visits to the Philadelphia region. "It gives the student and the family the opportunity to look beyond the marketing materials and form more accurate impressions about a school and its surroundings. Ultimately the visit should help them decide whether an individual school and its locale are the right fit."
The Off-Campus Experience
The research found that another key to happiness at college is the off-campus atmosphere. Fifty-two percent of college graduates feel that the off-campus atmosphere positively impacted their college experience.
Not surprisingly, this is particularly true for those students who live away from home for college (63%). These graduates were about 50% more likely than those who lived at home to feel that the off-campus environment had a positive impact on their college experience.
Campus Visit/Philadelphia is the most comprehensive regional tourism-education collaboration program in the country. The organization offers one-stop travel and information services that allow prospective college students and their families to sample the education and tourism offerings available throughout the Philadelphia region. Campus Visit/Philadelphia’s free services include a website, www.OneBigCampus.com; a free 48-page visitors’ guide; and a toll-free reservations desk (1-877-88-PHILA) that provides travel discounts at hotels, and on USAirways and Amtrak.
Bruskin Research, a member of of the NOP World
group of companies, is a
full service market research firm. Bruskin conducts the full spectrum of
research studies including America's oldest and most respected consumer
omnibus service. Weekly studies with 1,000 telephone interviews among
adults.
The overall reliability of the total sample is less than + or – five percent.
# # #
