Search

This study of 1993 Kansas National Merit Semifinalists (NMSFs) examines which colleges/universities students are attending during the fall of 1993 and provides related data concerning the chosen institutions. Information was gathered from 67 high schools concerning enrollments for 159 of the 169 NMSFs in the Kansas class of 1993. Data were compared to data from a previous study which determined students' university preferences. Results revealed that 32 percent of those who had expressed preferences actually enrolled in institutions which were not among their three earlier choices. A total of 37.5 percent of NMSFs enrolled in Kansas institutions, a slight reduction from the 38.1 percent who had listed Kansas colleges/universities among their preferences. The 159 NMSFs are enrolled in 68 different colleges and universities. Eleven institutions account for over half of the NMSFs. Forty-two percent of males chose Kansas institutions in contrast to 32 percent of females. Public colleges/universities were chosen by a majority of the NMSFs. Females chose private and religious institutions more frequently than did males. Of the 103 NMSFs who had earlier listed college/university preferences, 37.9 percent actually enrolled in their first choice schools, 18.4 percent in their second choices, and 11.7 percent in their third choices. (JDD)

A survey was mailed to 169 Kansas students in the 1993 class of National Merit Semifinalists (NMSFs). Data were analyzed in terms of age, gender, race, language, family characteristics, high schools attended, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, part-time work, travel experiences outside the United States, high school programs, judgments concerning public schools, college/university preferences, and career plans. Results indicated that: (1) nearly two out of three of all Kansas NMSFs are males, and almost all are Caucasian Americans; (2) NMSF parents are unusually stable and well educated; (3) 18 percent of the state's high schools produce all of the NMSFs; (4) NMSFs report frequent participation in extracurricular nonsport activities and some participation in extracurricular sports and community-based activities; (5) four out of five NMSFs hold high school leadership positions; (6) more than half hold part-time jobs during the school year; (7) nearly two-thirds have traveled outside of the United States; (8) 70% of students reported taking accelerated or Advanced Placement courses; (9) almost 80 percent assigned their schools a grade of A or B; (10) 38 percent listed Kansas colleges and universities among the three institutions they would like to attend; (11) more than one-third had not made a career choice; and (12) only 20 percent listed Kansas as the state in which they would prefer to spend their careers. Appendixes contain statistical data supporting the study and a copy of the survey questionnaire. (Contains 26 references.) (JDD)