New to UBC (NUBC) Student Survey
Report on Direct Entrants, UBC Vancouver
Prepared by: Sham Pendleton
Planning and Institutional Research, UBC
Introduction
In August 2009, the Offices of the Vice President, Students and Planning and
Institutional Research undertook a survey to measure characteristics of our incoming
students, including their expectations prior to their arrival at UBC. The survey was
administered at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan and was administered to all
new students (direct entrants and transfer students). The NUBC Survey, unlike other
surveys that UBC has participated in, is unique since it attempts to measure the impact of
the first year experience for both direct entrants and transfer students. In February, we
will survey the same students again to determine how our student expectations have been
altered by their first year experience at UBC. In addition, the survey will provide
benchmarks to help us assess progress towards UBC’s strategic objectives as set out in
the strategic plan. This report summarizes results for direct entrant respondents at UBC
Vancouver.
Survey Questions
Survey questions were developed specifically for UBC’s learning environment and
strategic plan. Questions from other surveys were also included to provide benchmarks
for assessing the experience and expectations of our students compared to students at
other large public Canadian and U.S. institutions.
The survey also provided students with a self assessment tool and a mechanism whereby
they could request additional information or seek advice. For example, students were
asked if they were confident in their ability to manage their academic time with their nonacademic time. If they selected ‘not confident’, another question was displayed which
asked if they would like to be contacted with information to help them achieve a balance.
Follow up emails and/or contact was then initiated with students where appropriate. The
ability to probe further allowed Enrolment Service Units and or Faculty academic
advising units to intervene early in order to make students aware of the resources
available to them to help them stay on track and have a successful year.
Response Rates
The survey was administered in August 2009 and closed on September 15, 2009.
Students received one to three emails requesting participation, from the initial invite to
two additional reminders. Incentives were offered and respondents were entered into a
prize draw for one $500 Air Canada travel voucher and two $200 Air Canada travel
vouchers.
An overall response rate of 64.2% was achieved for direct entrants and 62.0% for transfer
students. A response rate of 64% is impressive considering that in 2005, UBCV achieved
a response rate of 58% on the BSSE survey. In 2006 and 2008, the first year response
rate on NSSE was approximately 29%.
Direct Entrants
UBCV
UBCO
Total
Invited
5435
1352
6787
Responded
3493
861
4354
Response Rate
64.3%
63.7%
64.2%
Invited
2190
518
2708
Responded
1357
322
1679
Response Rate
62.0%
62.2%
62.0%
Transfer
UBCV
UBCO
Total
An analysis of response rates by faculty shows that that survey response rates are similar
to the distribution of student registrations by faculty. For example, 38% of all first year
registrants are in the Faculty of Arts and 37% of all respondents were from the Faculty of
Arts.
Direct Entrants Distribution of respondents by faculty:
Faculty
APSC
ARTS
COMM
DENT
FRST
HKIN
LFS
MUSC
SCIE
Total
Frequency
409
1,306
370
13
58
60
133
27
1,117
3,493
Percent of respondents
11.7%
37.4%
10.6%
0.4%
1.7%
1.7%
3.8%
0.8%
32.0%
100.0%
% of students registered in first year
12.7%
38.0%
10.3%
0.3%
1.7%
1.9%
3.7%
0.7%
30.7%
Summary of Findings:
Demographics
Of the total respondents, 60% are female and 40% are male. Female students represent
53% of the total new intake of direct entrants in undergraduate degree programs so are
slightly over-represented in the survey. Domestic students represent 83% of the total and
international students represent 17% which is representative of the total new intake for
direct entrants.
GENDER
Women
Men
Total
%
Domestic
1,743
1,152
2,895
82.9%
International
339
259
598
17.1%
Total
2,082
1,411
3,493
100.0%
%
59.6%
40.4%
100.0%
When asked to self-identify by ethno-racial groups (using the Statistics Canada Census
form of the question), 37.8% said ‘White’ while 43.0 % self-identified as Chinese,
Korean or Japanese. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census, non-visible
minorities represented 58% of the total population while those of Chinese, Korean and
Japanese descent represented 22% of the population in the Vancouver Metropolitan
Area.1
Ethno-racial groups (students could select more than one category)
Aboriginal
White
Chinese
South Asian (e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc.)
Black
Filipino
Latin American
Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Laotian, etc.)
Arab
West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan, etc.)
Korean
Japanese
Other
N
33
1307
1328
234
43
89
59
103
31
80
260
62
207
%
1.0%
37.8%
38.4%
6.8%
1.2%
2.6%
1.7%
3.0%
0.9%
2.3%
7.5%
1.8%
6.0%
Students were also asked about sexual orientation. Of those who responded (twelve
percent of our respondents chose not to answer this question), 92.5% identified as
heterosexual and 1.3% as Gay/Lesbian.
Do you identify yourself as:
Heterosexual
Gay/Lesbian
Bisexual
Unsure
Total
Missing
Grand Total
1
N
2830
39
78
114
3061
432
3493
%
81.0%
1.1%
2.2%
3.3%
87.6%
12.4%
Valid %
92.5%
1.3%
2.5%
3.7%
100.0%
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CMA&Code1=933__&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&Search
Text=Vancouver&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Visible%20minority&Custom=
Other demographic information
 46.2% of respondents learned English as their first language
 Of those who didn’t learn English as their first language, 79.0% learned to speak
English before the age of 10
 78.9% can speak two or more languages well enough to conduct a conversation
 48.4% have lived in another country besides Canada for at least one year
 66.2% have fathers who have completed a post-secondary degree and 58.2% have
mothers who have completed a post-secondary degree. Approximately 80% have
parents who have taken some college or university studies
Living and Commuting
Approximately half of the respondents planned to live on campus during their first year
and of those living off-campus, 84% plan to use public transport. Data from the Student
Housing office was merged to the respondent dataset and of those who said they planned
to live on campus, 92% or 1605 respondents are in fact living in a UBC student
residence. Also, some respondents said ‘No’ when asked if they planned to live on
campus but a small number (2% or 29 students) are living in residence.
How do you plan to commute to UBC? (Select the mode of transport you will use most often)
Vehicle (alone)
109
6.3%
Vehicle (with others/carpool)
109
6.3%
Walk
18
1.0%
Bicycle
30
1.7%
Public transport
1455
84.3%
Other
4
0.2%
Finances and Work
Respondents were asked if they needed a loan to finance their first year at UBC. Seventy
percent of domestic students and 86% of international students said ‘no’. Of those who
needed a loan (30% of domestic students), the majority (80%) said they would rely on
government student loans to fund their first year.
Do you need a loan to finance your first year at UBC?
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
No
50.0%
Yes
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Domestic
Intl
Respondents were also asked if they had any concerns about their ability to finance their
entire university education and 14% of domestic students said they had ‘major’ concerns
while 63% said ‘some’ and 23% said ‘none’.
Do you have any concern about your ability to finance your
entire university education?
70.00%
60.00%
Major (not sure I will have
enough funds to complete
university)
50.00%
40.00%
Some (but I probably will have
enough funds)
30.00%
None (I am confident that I will
have sufficient funds)
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Domestic
Intl
Of those who said that they had major concerns, almost all 96.5% or 463 students said
‘yes’ when asked if they would like to receive additional information about financial
assistance and awards.
When asked if they planned to work for pay while undertaking their studies, 37.9% said
‘no’. Approximately 26% planned to work 11 or more hours per week.
During this coming year, do you plan to work (for pay)?
No, I don't plan to have a job
I plan to work less than 10 hours per week
I plan to work between 11 and 20 hours per week
I plan to work more than 20 hours per week
Count
1324
1261
858
48
%
37.9%
36.1%
24.6%
1.4%
Of those who planned to work for pay, 91.5% or 1946 students said ‘yes’ when asked if
they would like to receive additional information about on-campus work opportunities.
Expectations about Learning
In 2008, the Center for Learning and Student Success at Florida Atlantic University
administered a survey to incoming freshman on ‘their feelings about their first semester
of college, their intended study habits, anticipated challenges, planned use of their time,
etc”. Some questions specifically addressed the learning environment.
We asked the same questions on the learning environment to UBC students to determine
how our students felt about the courses that they had registered for before they started
their studies. We also plan to ask the same set of questions after their first semester to
see if student expectations about their courses remain the same of if they have changed.
On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is ‘strongly agree’, respondents seem to be very positive
about the learning environment at UBC and are confident in their ability to succeed in all
of their courses (females more so than males-denoted by * for statistically significant
results).
My courses will be interesting
I see the value in each of the courses I will be taking this
semester
I am confident that I have the ability to succeed in all of my
courses
*results are statistically significant
Valid N
Mean
Standard Deviation
GENDER
F
2073
4.13
0.86
M
1400
4.15
0.86
Valid N
Mean
Standard Deviation
2066
4.18
0.93
1402
4.15
0.96
Valid N
Mean
Standard Deviation
2077
4.02
0.9
1401
4.23*
0.9
Respondents were also asked about grade expectations for first year and most are
confident of their ability to achieve good grades.
Grade expectation for first year direct entrants
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
ubcv
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
80-100 (A-,
A, A+)
68-79 (B-,
B, B+)
55-67 (C-,
C, C+)
50-54 (D)
0-49 (F)
We know however that students are going to be disappointed with their actual
performance as typical sessional averages at UBC are approximately 10-15 percentage
points below a student’s admission average to the university.
2009 Respondent expectations of first year grades
compared to actual first year grades for 2008 cohort
70%
60%
50%
40%
expected
actual in 2008
30%
20%
10%
0%
(80-100)A
(68-79)B
(55-67)C
(50-54)D
(0-49)F
Similarly, most students seem to be very or somewhat confident about their ability to
balance their academic and non-academic time (95.5%). Of those who responded ‘not
confident’, 77% or 120 students requested that additional information be sent to them to
help them achieve balance.
How confident are you in your ability to balance academic
and non-academic time?
Not confident
Somewhat confident
Very confident
Total
N
%
158
2286
1045
3489
4.5 %
65.5 %
30.0 %
100.0 %
Tutoring
When asked if they had received some extra tutoring in key subjects, approximately onequarter said that they had received tutoring in Math, 16% in English and 13% in Writing.
The same proportion said they expected that they would need tutoring in first year Math,
26% in Writing and 20% in English.
Tutoring:
Have had:
English
568
16.3%
711
20.4%
Reading
241
6.9%
306
8.8%
Mathematics
868
24.8%
830
23.8%
Science
371
10.6%
596
17.1%
Second/Additional Language
316
9.0%
419
12.0%
Writing
466
13.3%
902
25.8%
Other
49
1.4%
64
1.8%
Will need:
Respondents who said they would need tutoring were asked if they wanted to receive
additional information about tutoring services offered at UBC and 84.5% or 1,488
students said ‘yes’.
Areas of Concern
When asked what concerns students the most about university, many will cite their ability
to perform well academically as one of their top concerns and the respondents in this
survey provided similar responses to other surveys that we have conducted in the past.
The top three areas where respondents are ‘very concerned’ is their ability to do their
coursework, getting into their first choice major and getting the career and professional
advising that they need.
Concerns at UBCV
Financing my education at UBC
Being accepted for who I am
Getting into my first choice of major
My ability to do the coursework
Getting the academic advising I need
Getting the career and professional advising I need
Getting the personal counseling I might need
Getting along with my roommate(s), housemate(s), or
family members
Being able to make the kind of friends I want
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'
Being able to maintain good health
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and
family
My personal safety in and around campus
If UBC is the right choice for me
Very concerned
Count
669
431
974
1017
751
880
317
Somewhat
concerned
Not concerned
%
Count
19.2% 1662
12.4% 1136
28.0% 1429
29.2% 1749
21.6% 1755
25.3% 1741
9.1% 1241
%
Count
47.7% 1154
32.6% 1915
41.0% 1079
50.2% 715
50.4% 975
50.0% 864
35.7% 1922
%
33.1%
55.0%
31.0%
20.5%
28.0%
24.8%
55.2%
417
869
369
567
12.0%
24.9%
10.6%
16.3%
1145
1550
1014
1439
32.9%
44.5%
29.1%
41.3%
1920
1064
2101
1476
55.1%
30.5%
60.3%
42.4%
623
295
380
17.9%
8.5%
10.9%
1392
958
1048
40.0%
27.5%
30.1%
1465
2231
2055
42.1%
64.0%
59.0%
The University of California, Berkeley is a large, public research university considered
one of the top undergraduate universities in the U.S. Approximately 42% of the
undergraduate student body is Asian-American and females represent 53% of the student
body2. Similar to UBC, admission to UC Berkeley is highly competitive and selective.
A survey administered to freshman students at UC Berkeley shows similar areas of high
concern although the areas of concern are not identical to the NUBC survey.
2
http://metrics.vcbf.berkeley.edu/calstats.pdf
UC Berkeley
Being able to maintain a high enough GPA
Being overwhelmed with all the things I'm expected to
do my first semester
Being able to balance academic and social activities
Getting the career and professional advising I need
Being able to make the kind of friends I want
Getting the academic advising I need
Financing my education at Berkeley
Getting into my first choice of major
Getting along with my roommate (s)
Finding affordable housing while I'm a student at
Berkeley
If Berkeley is the right choice for me
Being able to maintain good health
Being able to cope with expectations of parents and
family
Getting the personal counseling I might need
My personal safety in and around the city of Berkeley
Being away from family and friends; being 'homesick'
Not that
concerned
6.10%
10.60%
Somewhat
concerned
29.90%
40.00%
Very concerned
12.30%
13.50%
17.60%
15.20%
27.20%
30.80%
25.60%
28.10%
41.00%
42.70%
38.80%
44.50%
36.40%
35.50%
43.20%
44.40%
46.70%
43.70%
43.60%
40.30%
36.40%
33.70%
31.20%
27.50%
42.30%
30.70%
35.20%
32.10%
43.90%
40.30%
25.50%
25.30%
24.50%
34.70%
34.30%
41.70%
41.20%
43.90%
37.00%
24.00%
21.80%
21.30%
64.00%
49.40%
Proficiencies
Respondents were asked to assess themselves in terms of abilities and proficiencies. On
a six point scale, students thought they were "good, very good, or excellent" at the
following rates:
Honesty:
Cooperativeness:
Self-Awareness/Understanding:
Clear & Effective Spoken English:
Analytical/Critical Thinking:
Interpersonal Skills:
Reading/Comprehension:
Intellectual Self-Confidence:
Physical Health:
Prepare/Deliver Presentations:
Creativity:
Leadership Skills:
Mathematical & Statistical Skills:
Other Research Skills:
Clear and Effective Writing:
Computer Skills:
Library Research Skills:
Athletic Ability:
Artistic Ability:
96.4%
94.9%
93.1%
89.4%
88.8%
88.6%
86.5%
86.5%
84.1%
80.1%
79.8%
79.1%
76.7%
75.8%
75.6%
75.3%
69.7%
61.1%
56.5%
Of particular interest with respect to the UBC Strategic Plan, over 90% of students believe
themselves to be "good, very good, or excellent" at the following abilities.
Ability to appreciate, tolerate, and understand racial and ethnic diversity:
Ability to take personal social responsibility:
Ability to appreciate cultural and global diversity:
Ability to appreciate the fine arts (e.g. painting, music, drama, dance):
97.6%
96.4%
95.9%
88.2%
These high self-rated abilities are of course problematic for comparison over time, since there is
evidently little room to increase. This problem has been studied by researchers at U C Berkeley,
and the solution for the second administration of the question is to re-word the question in terms
of how their UBC experience has changed their abilities in these key areas, and also to ask
students in retrospect about their initial abilities in these areas.
Engagement
We wanted to know how engaged students were and expected to be in a variety of nonacademic activities.
The majority of students had already engaged in volunteer work, and the majority of
students also intended to continue that practice. Very few students had participated in coops or internships, which is to be expected, but more than half thought they would get
that chance (in 2009S and 2009W only 2,547 UBC Vancouver students had registered in
such a course). Community service learning had been experienced by over half the
incoming class, but ranked near the bottom of activities students hoped to experience
while at UBC.
Intend
to do
Participate in:
Did do
student leadership activities
2011
57.6%
1843
52.8%
research activities
1445
41.4%
1772
50.7%
co-op education
325
9.3%
2018
57.8%
internship or practicum
420
12.0%
2083
59.6%
volunteer work
2974
85.1% 2269
65.0%
community service as part of a class
1950
55.8% 1602
45.9%
political activities
tutoring or teaching other students (paid or
voluntary)
547
15.7%
1116
31.9%
2006
57.4%
1569
44.9%
UBC's strategic plan envisions international travel for community service and education
to be highly desirable components of a UBC degree, and even prior to entering UBC a
majority of our students have these aspirations. Both the plan and the intentions of our
students exceed current levels of these activities by a wide margin and suggest major
changes in the delivery of these opportunities.
Travel to an international location:
Intend to
do
Did do
as part of school organized sport
670
19.2%
1043
29.9%
for leisure
2337
66.9%
2349
67.2%
to participate in community/voluntary service
736
21.1%
1865
53.4%
for work
222
6.4%
1711
49.0%
for education
1055
30.2%
2185
62.6%
Areas of Concern
Consistent with many other first year surveys, this survey sought to measure (and perhaps
even assist with) the extent to which our students suffer from negative feelings.
Those who were concerned about the upcoming year were given an opportunity to
request information about counselling services and were then sent a follow up e-mail
about available services; 52.4% or 1,118 concerned students took advantage of this offer.
Indicate if you have felt any of the following this past
year:
Overwhelmed by all I had to do
Depressed
Very lonely
Extremely anxious
Very angry
N
2,319
861
586
1,162
375
%
66.4%
24.6%
16.8%
33.3%
10.7%
45% of respondents selected extremely anxious and/or depressed, and three quarters of
them (see below) felt some concern that this would continue during their first year at
UBC.
How concerned are you that these feelings will persist
during your first year at UBC?
Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
Not very concerned
N
387
1762
740
%
13.4%
61.0%
25.6%
Questions about first year
Students were asked if they had any unanswered questions about their first year at UBC
and if they wanted an advisor to contact them. About 1/3 of the respondents said yes and
of those who said yes, 45% or 423 students requested that an advisor contact them.
Yes
No
Total
Do you have any unanswered questions about your first year at UBC?
Frequency
Percent
958
27.6
2515
72.4
3473
100.0
Student Comments
Students were asked to identify two areas that excited them the most about the upcoming
year, and for the most part it was the new environment that inspired their enthusiasm,
whether physical, social, or cultural; learning took second place.





Meeting new people
New environment
Interesting classes
Living alone; change of environment
Clubs and new experiences
Students were also asked to identify two areas that worried them the most about the
upcoming year, and academics was the number one worry, with social issues (having
friends, missing home) coming in second.




Doing well; maintaining good grades
Social environment; making friends
Being homesick
Course load; being able to maintain a balance between academic and non
academic
 Overall ability to succeed
The survey culminated with the question on what UBC could do to improve the first year
experience (based on their experiences so far, before classes began), and
"communication" was the largest issue with access to and delivery of information as the
primary area that UBC should improve. Of the total respondents, 1850 or 53% submitted
a response. Student comments were categorized into the following broad areas with
some comments covering multiple topics
NUBC Survey (Direct Entrants) How can we improve services?
better service
advising
communication
registration
web
courses
admissions
campus_tours_orientation
housing
finance
requirements
books_bookstore
work opportunites
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Other key areas included:
 Better web site (s); information is difficult to find
 Help with course selection (requirements are difficult to understand
 Help with registration. Step by step instructions on how to add courses; confusion
about wait lists
 “More user friendly ssc”
 Better communication; more informative emails
 Quicker response to emails/questions
 Provide check lists of what’s required from the student once they have been
admitted
The following are a sample of some of the comments that students provided:
Guarantee english and math courses to first year students (as these are mandatory
for most programs).
I found it difficult to know what courses to take/had to be taken first year. Maybe
some tips on that.
Registering for classes was not a pleasant experience at all-improving this procedure
would be valuable.
Fix course registration to make it more streamlined and easier to use. As well,
implement a system whereby the system will not be overloaded and crash by the
sudden rush of countless thousands of first year students attempting to simultaneously
register for their courses and thereby save students from massive amounts of anxiety,
worry and stress which would be better directed towards their coursework.
Release some housing information earlier, clearer outline of first week of school.
Keep in contact frequently
Send out more mail publications. The internet is great and efficient, but it is much
more personal and therefore interesting when you can pick up the publication on the
coffee table and peruse it with your family.
UBC should be giving more direct step on course selection instead of asking student
to find the answer.
Simplify the website - eliminate unnecessary information and options as the student
progresses through the application process.
In my high school, around grad we got sent a checklist of things we had to do and by
what dates. Something like that, just in an email or something that we could print off,
would be really helpful. I mean, I'm still confused about my U-Pass, what books to
buy, and when I need get the picture taken (the one that sticks with you throughout
University...). Having a concrete list of things to do would be excellent.
The availability of advisors to suit the needs of students with persisting questions
about university who require support and reassurance.
to reply to emails at a faster rate.
Departments ought to give explanations about what their subjects are. What is
economics? What is Poli Sci? What is Anthropology? Then departments should try
to convince students to take their course, as if advertising their field of study. This
would give clueless students an idea of what to take.
Keep up with the great work with Imagine UBC. It certainly provides a warm
welcome into a quite dauntingly large campus and shows us, new students, that we
are not alone.
It may be helpful for students to have details for the President's Entrance Scholarship
more available to them. Personally, I worked very hard to increase my average from
the low-90s to a 95%, and was disappointed when I found out that my award offer
would not change, even though my average did.
Make a comprehensible website that is geared directly to first year students with links
that are easy to access rather than having to constantly search through many
websites to find information on housing, financial assistance programs, etc.
When I was in the application process the most and still now, i called the offices a lot
because the websites didn't give me a lot of information that i directly needed.
However, I've always been put on hold for at least 10 minutes or more (one time 25
minutes). This was especially frustrating because office hours were only during my
school time, so i had to miss class to be put on hold. There should be a system where
students applying from high school have the same amount of access to UBC help as
other applicants. For example, extended office hours for high school applicants.
You guys are great
Encourage UBC Campus visits – it won me over!
My schedule is set and I am satisfied. My friend, however, cannot register in even one course.
How does UBC plan to accommodate for students who were not offered early/automatic
admittance? The problem is that these students are not able to register into even one class.
This is discomforting to the student to just "wait and see" for dropouts as he was told by UBC
advisors.
Give some lectures about how to adapt to the new environment or how to keep up
with the progress of the study and how to make yourself have more confidence in your
study and your university life.
Notify people on their room assignment way earlier! other universities let people
know in april/may and it allows the person to make an educated decision on which
school would be better for them.
I think that ever new student should have a senior student's email so that the new
student can ask question
Inform students of their acceptance to the university at an earlier date. UBC's online
self admission, and acceptance letter came much later than responses from other
universities. It would have been more convenient to receive it earlier and be able to
think about my choices side-by-side.
Summary
The most important feature of this survey will be the results from the second phase: how
did the first year at UBC affect these students? However, even at this stage we can make
some tentative conclusions:
1. UBC students are similar to first year students at many other North American
universities. These findings suggest that the general literature as well as survey
results provided by our colleagues can provide useful information about the needs
and concerns of students.
2. The principle concerns of new students are related to academics and their ability
to succeed.
3. For some students, but at UBC a rather small fraction, finances can be a major
concern. It is important not to confuse the relatively low number of students
expressing a concern about finance with the intensity of the problem for those
who do cite this as a concern.
4. Our incoming students feel very competent and able in areas in which UBC has
focused some strategic directions (e.g. global citizenship, understanding
diversity). UBC must be up to the challenge of offering an even richer
educational experience with respect to these "global" abilities.
5. Students are somewhat frustrated with the complexity of beginning university;
especially course selection and registration. UBC needs to do a better job of
coordinating all communications with students, including print, web, and
interpersonal.