Surveys

Entering Student Survey

Up through 2007, Wellesley gave entering students a national survey put out by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) based at UCLA. In 2008, we decided to administer our own, much shorter survey that is better tailored to Wellesley College. The survey asks about high school experiences and expectations for college, and provides a portrait of the entering class that can help faculty and administrators in planning and policy making. Beginning in 2006, the Entering Student Survey was sent to students via the MyWellesley portal before they arrived on campus.

Reports available:
CIRP 1999 – 2007
Wellesley Entering Student Survey 2008 - 2011

Next Entering Student Survey administration: August 2012

Enrolled Student Survey

Surveys of enrolled students (first-years through seniors) are administered every few years during the spring semester. They ask about students' experiences in and out of the classroom, their academic plans, the advising they receive, the progress they feel they have made since entering Wellesley, and their overall satisfaction with the college. The surveys are administered by the Office of Institutional Research. Unless otherwise noted, the surveys were administered in conjunction with The Consortium on the Financing of Higher Education (COFHE) and were sent to all students currently on campus. The Cycles survey, while was administered through COFHE, was created by the Five Colleges (Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Smith College).

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

NSSE is a national survey designed to measure the extent to which students at a wide range of colleges and universities engage in the types of activities that research has shown are associated with success in college. It asks how much effort students put into various educational activities, and the extent to which colleges support their students by providing academic challenges, opportunities for active learning, responsive faculty, enriching educational experiences, and a welcoming campus environment. Wellesley administered it to first-years and seniors in the spring of 2008.

CHAS Campus Climate Survey 2009

Wellesley College was one of twenty colleges and universities administering the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS) Campus Climate Survey in October, 2009. The survey asked students from all four classes to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of campus life, their participation in different activities, and, in particular, their interactions with students unlike themselves and the sense of community that exists on their campus. The survey was sent electronically to half of each of the four classes and achieved a response rate of 53%.

Reports available for:

• College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) 2001
• Cycles 1996 vs. 1999
• Enrolled Student Survey 2003
• Enrolled Student Survey (Cycles) 2004
• Enrolled Student Survey 2007
• The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2008
• CHAS Campus Climate Survey 2009
• Enrolled Student Survey 2011

Next Enrolled Student Survey administration date: February 2015

First-term Advising and Mentor Survey

First-year and transfer students are asked to describe their interactions with assigned faculty advisors and undergraduate mentors, and evaluate the utility of the advice provided by these two official sources.

First-year Follow-up Survey

This survey asks new students to assess the Orientation Program and report on their first weeks on campus, with particular emphasis on their ability to get help when needed.

Sophomore Survey

The Sophomore Survey was created at Wellesley in 2004 to gather retrospective information about the first year and current information about sophomores during the fall semester. The survey asks about experiences in and out of the classroom, academic plans and advising, and overall satisfaction with the college. It is administered by the Office of Institutional Research.

Reports available for 2004 - 2011

Next Sophomore Survey administration: October 2012

Junior Survey

The Junior Survey was created in 2009 in cooperation with the six other selective liberal arts colleges in the New England Consortium on Assessment and Student Learning (NECASL). It was designed specifically for the junior class, and, although it covers a great deal of ground, its focus is on issues that are particularly salient in the junior year. It includes questions that apply to all juniors and questions that apply to subsets only. Among the first set are questions about students' academic experiences generally and in their academic major(s) more specifically, interactions with faculty, life on campus outside of academics, and overall evaluations of the college experience. Among the second set are questions for students who remained on campus the entire junior year, questions for students who studied away for a term or more, and questions for students who had one or more academic minors.

Report available for 2009

Next Junior Survey administration: March 2012

Study Abroad Survey

The Study Abroad Survey was designed at Wellesley by foreign language department chairs and the Office of Institutional Research. It was administered to all Wellesley students who studied abroad during 2001-2002.

Report available for 2002.

Returning Senior Survey

This survey is an extension of the Junior Survey.  It surveys seniors who were off campus the previous spring semester to respond to questions that their on-campus classmates have already answered with regard to academic experiences, interactions with faculty and fellow students, and overall evaluation of a Wellesley education.  The seniors are also asked what they gained from spending time away from campus and how they experienced re-entry into Wellesley’s culture.

Senior Survey

Graduating seniors are surveyed near the close of their final year to gauge their self-reported areas of growth, their perceptions of different aspects of academic and student life at Wellesley, and their post-graduation plans.

Reports available for 1998 and 2000 – 2011

Next Senior Survey administration: April-May 2012