big six“– six positive experiences connected to
TRANSCRIPT
„ BIG SIX“– six positive experiences connected to preparedness for
life after undergraduate studies
In March 2014, Gallup and Purdue University published the results of their joint survey titled Great Jobs, Great
Lives, mapping the „Big Six“ – that is the six basic experiences, which all students of a high quality
undergraduate education should go through during their studies. These six experiences are closely linked to
preparedness for life after college. The “Big Six” were in turn selected on the basis of previous research on the
success rate of recent alumni of undergraduate studies in finishing their studies and in long-term success in
acquiring engaging employment and leading a successful life. The Gallup-Purdue Index results highlighted
three main key findings:
Preparedness for life is closely linked to these six positive experiences during undergraduate
education,
There is a cumulative effect – each additional "Big Six" experience results in more preparedness for
life,
“Big Six” experiences are also linked to time it took students to complete their degree.
The Gallup-Purdue survey consist of two main parts. The first part covers the support that students received
from faculty and university personnel. The second part asks about the extracurricular experiences during their
studies. More specifically, the first area consists of experiences of having at least one professor, who made
them excited about learning, having professor(s) who cared about them as persons, and having a mentor, who
encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams. The survey then asks, whether the respondent had all
three of these experiences during their undergraduate education. The second three experiences are also not
connected with the content of education. The three questions ask whether the student worked on a project
that took a semester or longer to complete, had an internship or a job that allowed them to apply the
knowledge gained in the classroom, or was actively engaged in extracurricular activities and organizations.
Respondents are again asked whether they had all three of these experiences during their studies. Finally,
recent alumni are asked whether they experience all six of the “Big Six” items during their studies.
The results of the original survey show that the more positive experiences the students had during their
studies, the more they feel their education prepared them for life after college. At the same time, they are
more successful in attaining engaging, meaningful employment, and experiencing a higher level of subjective
well-being. The positive experiences are much more closely linked to successful life after college than which
school the respondent attended.
Gallup-Purdue survey shows that only 3% of American college graduates had all six experiences during
their studies. The survey polled 29,650 college graduates.
BISLA BIG SIX In 2016, Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts replicated the questionnaire on a sample of 56 of its total of 111 alumni. Compared to the US survey sample, 45% of BISLA students listed having all six positive experiences during their studies (survey sample included 56 of the total of 111 BISLA alumni).
SURVEY QUESTIONS The Undergraduate Experience: Support and Experiential Learning SUPPORT 1. I had at least one professor at [College] who made me excited about learning; 2. My professors at [College] cared about me as a person; 3. I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams; A. Strongly agree with all three support statements. EXPERIENTIAL 4. I worked on a project that took a semester or longer to complete; 5. I had an internship or job that allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom; 6. I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations while I attended [College]; B. Strongly agree with all three experiential statements C. Strongly agree with all six statements
Gallup-Purdue Index
Feb-March 2014
BISLA „Big Six“ in numbers:
1 2 3 A 4 5 6 B C
Yes 55 52 39 39 29 39 35 28 25
No 1 4 15 12 26 17 20 22 24
No answer 0 0 2 5 1 0 1 6 7
BISLA yes in %
98.21% 92.86% 69.64% 69.64% 51.79% 69.64% 62.50% 50.00% 44.64%
no in % 1.79% 7.14% 26.79% 21.43% 46.43% 30.36% 35.71% 39.29% 42.86%
No answer in %
0% 0% 3.57% 8.93% 1.79% 0% 1.79% 10.71% 12.50%
American sample - yes in %
63% 27% 22% 14% 32% 29% 20% 6% 3%
98,2 92,969,6 69,6
51,869,6 62,5
50,0 44,6
1,8 7,126,8 21,4 46,4
30,4 35,739,3 42,9
0,0 0,0 3,6 8,9 1,8 0,0 1,8 10,7 12,5
0,010,020,030,040,050,060,070,080,090,0
100,0
1. I
had
at
leas
t o
ne
pro
fess
or
wh
om
ade
me
exc
ited
abo
ut
lear
nin
g
2. M
y p
rofe
sso
rsca
red
ab
ou
t m
e as
a p
ers
on
3. I
had
a m
en
tor
wh
o e
nco
ura
ged
me
to p
urs
ue
my
goal
s an
d d
ream
s
A. S
tro
ngl
y ag
ree
wit
h a
ll th
ree
sup
po
rt s
tate
men
ts
4. I
wo
rke
d o
n a
pro
ject
th
at t
oo
k a
sem
este
r o
r lo
nge
rto
co
mp
lete
5. I
had
an
inte
rnsh
ip o
r jo
bth
at a
llow
ed m
e to
app
ly w
hat
I w
as…
6. I
was
ext
rem
ely
acti
ve in
extr
acu
rric
ula
rac
tivi
tie
s an
d…
B. S
tro
ngl
y ag
ree
wit
h a
ll th
ree
exp
eri
enti
alst
atem
ents
C. S
tro
ngl
y ag
ree
wit
h a
ll si
xst
atem
ents
BISLA BIG SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCESyes no no answer
How is the “Big Six” positive college experiences connected to success in finishing
undergraduate studies, finding engaging employment, sense of well-being, and
sense of being prepared for life. Data from the Gallup-Purdue US sample:
Source: Gallup Index. http://www.gallup.com/poll/182306/big-six-college-experiences-linked-life-
preparedness.aspx