Evans-Layng, Michael. INFLUENCE ON RETENTION OF CHANGES IN BACKGROUND AND ATTITUDE OF MUIR COLLEGE FRESHMEN, UCSD, BETWEEN 1968 AND 1984. California Univ., San Diego. Nov 1985. 33 p. (ED311766)

An examination of the results of two surveys of the attitudes of entering freshmen at Muir College, University of California at San Diego (UCSD) is presented. The surveys were conducted in 1968 and 1984 in conjunction with national surveys coordinated by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program. Information is presented on: (1) changes in background and attitudes affecting attrition (parental education, student religious preferences, ethnicity, financing college/parental income, likelihood of changing major or transferring, cigarette smoking, and graduate school aspirations); and (2) other notable changes (career goals, age profile, high school grades, why student picked UCSD, important personal objectives, and personal habits). Some of the changes may help to account for the improvement in the campus's continuation rate since the late 1970s, independent of changes in the campus and community environments. Changes include: a larger proportion of Jewish and Catholic students in the student body; a smaller proportion of students expressing no religious preference; a greater proportion of Asian students; much less anxiety about the ability to pay for college; increased confidence in UCSD; a decrease in students who smoke frequently; and increased aspirations for graduate school. Other differences show substantial changes in the life and career objectives of incoming students. (SM)