YFCY Findings

Your First College Year

YFCY Findings

Publications, Presentations and Conferences

The 2003 Your First College Year (YFCY) Survey: Exploring the Academic and Personal Experiences of College Students is available for purchase. Click here for more information.

To view of list of upcoming and recent YFCY presentations, click here.

Summary of Recent YFCY Findings

There has long been a need for comprehensive, longitudinal data on the first-year experience. Information on first-year students—at both the institutional and national level—is vital to help researchers and practitioners address student development issues, first-year curricula and co-curricular programs, adjustment to college, and retention. In response to this need the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA and the Policy Center on the First Year of College at Brevard College collaborated to develop a new instrument titled Your First College Year (YFCY), which was designed as a follow up to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s (CIRP) Freshman Survey.

While the YFCY survey has collected national, longitudinal data on first-year students since 2000, the data from the 2005 administration of YFCY represents the largest and most representative first-year student sample that HERI has collected to date. A total of 38,538 first-time, full-time, first-year students responded to the instrument from 144 colleges and universities across the country. Further, over ninety percent of these institutions (134 colleges and universities) also participated in the 2004 CIRP Freshman Survey, creating an unprecedented longitudinal database on first-year college students. Given the sheer number of students in the sample; the fact that there is representation from every control, type, selectivity, and size of institution nationally; and the richness of the data from a longitudinal perspective, these data are an important resource to researchers and campus decision-makers dedicated to the enhancement of the first-year experience. Below are highlights of our findings from initial analyses conducted with the 2005 YFCY data.

Student Satisfaction in the First Year

	Nearly three-fourths of the respondents reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their overall college experience.
	The majority of students in the sample were likewise satisfied with the quality of instruction they received, relevance of coursework to future career plans, amount of contact with faculty, overall sense of community among students, campus social activities, and relevance of coursework to everyday life.
	In regards to campus facilities, students felt most satisfied with library, classroom, computer, and recreational facilities. Areas in which students were comparatively less satisfied include the registrar’s office, student housing facilities, psychological counseling, career center, and financial aid services.

Academic Experiences in the First Year

Although most respondents studied and discussed their courses with other students during the first year, findings suggest that many remain disengaged from their coursework: over half “frequently” or “occasionally” came late to class; almost half turned in course assignments that did not reflect their best work or felt bored in class; and approximately one-third skipped class at least “occasionally” in the first year.

Close to one-third of the survey respondents felt intimidated by their professors in the first college year, which may help to explain why only a minority of these respondents met with faculty members during or outside of class/office hours at least once a week.

Student Adjustment to College

The majority of respondents felt “completely successful” in developing close friendships with other students; less than half felt similarly about understanding professors’ academic expectations and adjusting to the demands of college in general; less than a third were completely successful at utilizing campus services, developing effective study skills, managing their time effectively, or getting to know faculty. However, the vast majority of students were at least “somewhat successful” in each of these areas.

Personal Challenges and Social Networks in the First Year

	The majority of first-year students have some degree of concern about financing their college education, although less than one-third of the respondents work for pay on or off campus. Less than half of the students “frequently” felt overwhelmed, lonely or homesick, and worried about meeting new people in the first year.
	Students reported mostly positive interactions with their peers since entering college. Slightly more than one-third of the respondents interacted with family members on a daily basis.

Change Over the First Year of College

Students’ actual experiences in college often fall short of their expectations, especially with respect to changing career plans, getting a job to help pay for expenses, and participating in student clubs or groups.

As compared with when they entered college, first-year students:

	Spend more time studying, partying, and socializing with friends;
	Spend less time attending to household or childcare duties, exercising, performing volunteer work, attending religious services, and reading for pleasure;
	Drink beer, wine, and/or other types of liquor more frequently;
	Feel more overwhelmed and depressed; and
	Feel less worried about the costs of college.

When asked to assess how much they have changed since entering college, very few of the respondents felt as though their knowledge and skills declined since entering college, but many did not feel as if their knowledge and skills improved either. Areas in which students noted the most improvement included their knowledge of a particular field or discipline, their ability to make their own decisions, and their general knowledge.

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If you have questions or require additional information please contact the YFCY project team at the Higher Education Research Institute at (310) 825-1925 or heri@ucla.edu.

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	Your First College Year Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA 3005 Moore Hall, Box 951521, Los Angeles, California 90095-1521 U.S.A. Phone: (310) 825-1925 Fax: (310) 206-2228 Email: heri@ucla.edu