What Students Were Looking For

A new survey of new students at two-year and four-year colleges -- of students who participate in Cappex.com, a service that helps colleges identify prospective students -- found notable demographic differences in what students said that they wanted in a college. Among the differences:

• Female students with high SAT and ACT scores said that they focused on colleges with strong academic records.
• Male students with lower SAT scores ranked “appealing campus traditions” and big-time athletics as key to their choices.
• Minority students -- but not white students -- said that they gained key information from college fairs and emails from admissions offices.
• Southern students, more than those elsewhere, cared about colleges having "appealing" traditions.

The survey was conducted by Lipman Hearne and Cappex.