Highlights from the Graduating Senior Survey
December 2002 - August 2003
Seventy percent of the graduating undergraduate class of 2002 - 2003 completed the WCU Graduating Senior Survey during commencement rehearsals. Find out what our recent graduates say about the following areas by clicking each of the links:
Over 90% of graduating seniors reported that faculty were good or excellent in setting high expectations for them to learn (92%), encouraging them to be actively involved learners (92%), and to develop opportunities for students to learn cooperatively with fellow students (92%).
Almost 90% of graduating seniors reported that faculty were good or excellent in respecting the diverse talents and ways of learning of students and their classmates, encouraging student-faculty interaction, in and out of the classroom, encouraging students to devote sufficient time and energy for their coursework, and caring about students' academic success and welfare.
Overall graduating seniors rated faculty as good or excellent on all measures (93%).
Over 75% of graduating seniors reported advising was good or excellent concerning sufficient time with their advisors, access to their advisor, advisor knowledge of campus policies, and accurate information about degree requirements and course sequencing from their advisors. Approximately 80% reported overall academic advising services as being excellent or good.
Over 90% of graduates reported library hours of operation, staff responsiveness, and access to databases and collections as excellent or good. Seniors rated overall library services (94%) as being good or excellent.
At least 90% reported good or excellent access to the Internet and overall technology services. Over 80% of graduates reported good or excellent training classes (83%), access to up-to-date facilities (89%), hours of operation for computer center, labs, and help desks (89%), and access to trained staff for help (84%).
Of those graduates that used Career Services, 76% reported that their opportunity for career assistance was good or excellent (a 4% increase from the previous year). Approximately 75% of graduates reported the resources for career options and information available to them on internships, etc. was good or excellent. Eighty-three percent reported that information available through computers was good or excellent. Seventy-one percent of graduates reported access to employment opportunities as good or excellent (a 4% increase from the previous year) and resume preparation (72%) as good or excellent (a 3% increase from the previous year). Seventy-nine percent reported career-related services overall as good or excellent (a 3% increase from the previous year).
Western's Contribution to Basic Skill Areas:
Over 90% of graduates reported that Western contributed very much or somewhat to their writing, listening, speaking, comprehension, analytic skills, computer skills, the ability to function as part of a team, the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds, recognizing and acting on ethical principles, and personal growth.
Over 80% reported that Western contributed very much or somewhat to applying scientific methods or inquiry and appreciating racial and gender equity.
Over 70% of graduates reported Western contributed very much or somewhat to using math skills.
Student Services/Opportunities/Offices:
| Reporting Good/Excellent | ||
Process |
Staff |
|
| 1. Registration | 87% |
85% |
| 2. Financial aid application/award | 83 |
83 |
| 3. Financial aid disbursement | 83 |
85 |
| 3. Campus food | 45 |
62 |
| 4. Campus health | 74 |
80 |
| 5. Campus counseling (not career) services | 77 |
82 |
| 6. Business services/cashier/student accounts | 80 |
83 |
| 7. Campus residence life programs for students living in university-owned housing | 68 |
72 |
| 8. Opportunities to participate in campus recreational and other extra-curricular or co-curricular activities | 82 |
|
| 9. Opportunities to participate in community service projects | 72 |
|
| 10. Opportunities to develop leadership skills | 79 |
In most cases, the 2002 - 2003 graduates expressed slightly higher percentages of satisfaction for the above services than the previous graduating class of 2001-2002 or 2000-2001.
Twenty-three percent of graduates reported that at graduation they were still seeking a job (last year graduates reported 29%), while 25% reported that they had accepted a job and 11% reported continuing in their current job. Of those who accepted a job, 80% reported that the job is in their major field of study and 80% of those responding to the question reported their jobs being in North Carolina. Nineteen percent reported continuing their education in graduate school either full-time or part-time (an increase of 1% from the previous year).
Ninety-three percent of graduates reported that the overall quality of instruction in their major and the overall education they received at Western was excellent or good.