Post Collegiate Preparedness of Graduating College Seniors at North Dakota State University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain new insight on the preparedness for postcollegiate life of graduating college seniors who are living or have lived on-campus in the residence halls in comparison to those who have moved off-campus or have never lived oncampus at North Dakota State University. An independent survey instrument was developed to assess post-collegiate preparedness for three key student outcomes: self-awareness and interpersonal sensitivity, citizenship, and life skills management. A comparison was made between the data collected from participating graduating seniors who live on-campus to that of the data collected from participating graduating seniors who live off-campus to determine the level of preparedness for post-collegiate life of each group. Additionally, a comparison was made between data collected from participating graduating seniors who have lived oncampus to that of data collected from participating seniors who have never lived oncampus. Results comparing students living on-campus vs. off-campus showed differences in the areas of curiosity, student leadership, and employment while attending college. Results comparing students who have lived on-campus vs. never lived on-campus showed differences in the areas of leadership, campus involvement, and post-graduation employment.