Isabel Vargas-Hurlston

How physical tours impact college decision-making and student success

Started Apr. 21, 2022

Abstract or project description

Inspired by my own experiences deciding where to go to college, I investigated the correlation between a student's college tour experiences and their satisfaction with their choice of school. To conduct the study, I wrote and sent out a survey to current college students asking them to rate different aspects of their experiences when touring the college that they attend, as well as their overall satisfaction with their school of choice. Most questions on the survey were on a likert scale, for easy conversion into numerical values, and questions probed into the perception of the food, campus, surroundings, students, and more. The survey was sent out the the psychology departments of ten different universities, and responses were recorded through Google forms. The data collected was then analyzed for correlation to student satisfaction using a Spearman correlation test in R. The results showed that most aspects of a tour are not indicative of student satisfaction (not correlated) except for the weather, with r(18) = .438 , p =.037, indicating some correlation between weather and student satisfaction. With only 35 responses to the survey, further research can be done. However, the weather correlation observed is an interesting observation that could change the way the colleges recruit students, and how students narrow down their college list. (Note-I presented my project at the Symposium of Rising Scholars, and have submitted those slides. However, I have also written a brief summary of my work that I may attempt to submit for publication soon. Both projects are attached.)