class of 2019 survey

Mount St. Mary's University

Class of 2019 Survey

Welcome to The Mount St. Mary's University Class of 2019 Survey!

The Mount is committed to providing our students with an outstanding

educational experience. Our goal is to help our students become the best

people they can be and to prepare them to be highly effective leaders and

contributors to society. We want you to leave The Mount and lead very happy

and extraordinary lives.

We firmly believe that the SAT and ACT exams, and even a GPA score, do

not effectively value the potential of anyone. At The Mount, we look beyond

these simple numbers and seek to understand what motivates each student, as

well as understand what factors may be holding each student back from

performing at his or her best.

This year, we are going to start the Veritas Symposium by providing you with

a very valuable tool that will help you discover more about yourself. This

survey has been developed by a leadership team here at The Mount, and it is

based on some of the leading thinking in the area of personal motivation and

key factors that determine motivation, success, and happiness. We will ask

you some questions about yourself that we would like you to answer as

honestly as possible. There are no wrong answers.

In a few weeks, we will provide you with some insights into what your

responses show about the person you are and could become. We believe

everyone here has potential to become someone way beyond what you may

think possible right now. We will provide some thoughts on the types of

activities, courses, and experiences you should seek at The Mount, as well as

some areas you should think about working on in order to be happy and

successful. Self-discovery is one of the most important aspects of a college

education, as Aristotle said: "knowing yourself is the beginning of all

wisdom."

Finally, we would like your views on several potential new programs and

courses that we are considering developing. Your feedback would be greatly

appreciated.

To get started, please enter your 6-digit student ID number below. (This is the

last 6 digits of the number below the barcode on the back of your Mount ID

card).


The Mount is considering developing courses, programs, minors, and majors in a

number of new areas. We would like to gauge your interest in these subject areas

that will help us tailor our offering to areas of strong interest of our student body:

Emergency Management. The program could be offered through the Business School in conjunction with FEMA. In addition to other courses at the Business

School, students will learn about how to handle crises and high pressure situations

and there will be considerable real world experience as well as programs in

FEMA's crisis simulator. Internships around the country.

So interested - I would pay a small premium to do the course!

Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral

Slightly disinterested

Not at all interested

PP&E or Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. PP&E is the blue-ribbon degree course at Oxford University that has been taken by many world leaders

including most of the recent prime ministers of Great Britain. PP&E programs

have been developed at Penn, Yale, Notre Dame, and Wesleyan. The Mount is

considering offering this interdisciplinary program based on the Oxford model

for students wanting a career in law, politics, public management, or the global

economy.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Cyber Security. Maryland is the main state involved in all aspects of cyber security. At The Mount, the programs would not focus as much on the pure

engineering (such as designing firewalls or anti-virus software) but on data

analytics, IT security, and compliance.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Data Analytics. This is a large discipline that underpins much of the growth and development in many career areas including biotech (bioinformatics); law

enforcement; online and mobile marketing; social media; accounting;

transformational consulting; organizational redesign; direct marketing; and

logistics and supply chain management. Partners may include companies such as

IBM and Raytheon who may provide software, adjunct professors, and

internships.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Consumer Digital Marketing (CDM). The entire marketing and advertising industry has shifted dramatically in the last fifteen years so that traditional media

(newspapers, yellow pages, radio, TV) are no longer as effective at reaching

consumers, and new online and mobile channels have taken over. CDM is

designed to teach about online and mobile marketing techniques, lead generation,

ad creation, short form video, marketing targeting, marketing economics, and

other skills required for a career in this growing field.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Civil Engineering. The largest shortage of professional graduates by 2050 is projected to be in Civil Engineering. There is an enormous backlog of civil

projects that need to be completed in the US over the next fifty years due to the

growth in the country and the aging infrastructure. The Mount is considering

partnering with a leading Civil Engineering firm to build the program, such as

Bechtel or AECOM.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Environmental Engineering. This is a sub-discipline of civil engineering where the focus is projects that impact the environment. Think water

conservation; clean energy; land reclamation; water treatment; recycling

etc. Along with Civil Engineering, environmental engineers are amongst the most

highly compensated graduates.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Designing Your Mount Experience. Modeled after a very popular 2 credit course at Stanford, this program will help students better diagnose the courses

and subjects they wish to pursue at the University, based on their personal

preferences and development needs.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Entrepreneurship. Historically, The Mount has produced some outstanding entrepreneurs and boasts a disproportionate number of entrepreneurs amongst

its alumni. This course will train students in all aspects of growing a small

business including accounting, marketing, finance, operations, logistics, sales, and

capital raising. The Mount may set up a fund to invest in the best student start up

idea, and partner with successful alumni as mentors and possible investors.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Behavioral Science and Cognitive Bias. We all suffer from some sort of bias. Some of it is a result of being simply human; some of it is learned as a

function on where and how we are raised; and some of it is due to having too

limited exposure to other perspectives that are different from our own. There are

over 200 known cognitive biases. Today's leaders are constantly challenged by

trying to overcome bias in their audience's listening and comprehension

abilities. This program is designed to not only teach about the various biases, but

to help students learn to overcome bias, or use it successfully and ethically in

communication. Skills learned are excellent grounding for careers in HR,

Advertising, Politics, Management, and Teaching amongst others.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Salesmanship. The most frequent career for Mount graduates is in sales. Nearly 12% of all our alumni are in sales. Today, selling is both an art and

a science. Students need to learn about the complexities of people interaction,

building trust, and managing relationships, in addition to being highly diagnostic

and agile at using technologies such as Salesforce. All careers require some

understanding of how to "sell." The program will involve internships and real

world experience.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral



Writing Program: Whether you're considering a career in law, science, marketing, creative writing, journalism, or business, the ability to express

complex ideas concisely sets you apart from the competition. Employers

constantly seek out people who write well and communicate

effectively. Technological innovations continue to transform the way people

connect with one another, but the skills required to successfully convey a message

remain the same. This program offers courses in digital media, writing for the

web, and professional writing along with workshops in fiction writing, poetry

writing, scriptwriting, and creative nonfiction. Students earn credit for working

on the staff of the newspaper, literary magazine, or radio station and benefit from

the rich variety of internships available in the DC and Baltimore area.


Very interested

Slightly interested

Neutral




Choose the one sentence that more closely relates to your beliefs.

Many times I feel that I have little influence over the things that happen to me.

It is impossible for me to believe that chance or luck plays an important role in my

life.


Becoming a success is a matter of hard work, luck has little or nothing to do with

it.

Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the right time.


By taking an active part in political and social affairs, the people can control world

events.

As far as the world affairs are concerned, most of us are victims of forces we can

neither understand nor control.

Do you believe that hard work can overcome fixed intelligence (e.g. some people

are just good at math)?

Strongly disagree

Slightly disagree

Slightly agree

Strongly agree

Do you believe that fixed intelligence exists?

Strongly disagree

Slightly disagree

Slightly agree

Strongly agree


Please indicate whether each of these life events have happened to you during the

previous year: (Yes or No)

select appropriate response

Yes

No

Death of a close family

member

Major personal injury or

illness

Major change in the

health or behavior of a

family member

Gaining a new family

member (i.e. birth,

adoption, older adult

moving in)

Major change in financial

state (i.e. a lot worse or

better than usual)

Death of a close friend

Beginning or ceasing

formal schooling

Changes in residence

(outside of The Mount)

Taking on major student

loans


Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements.


Strongly

disagree

Slightly

disagree

Neutral

Slightly

agree

Strongly

agree

I usually

feel

prepared to

answer

questions in

class.

I know how

to seek help

if I do not

understand

a concept or

assignment.

I am

comfortable

discussing

my ideas in

class.

Spending

time

learning

new

material is

important.

I enjoy

talking with

others about

what I have

learned.

Asking for

help is an

important

way to

clarify

concepts I

am

studying.

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements:


Strongly

disagree

Slightly

disagree

Neutral

Slightly

agree

Strongly

agree

I enjoy the

satisfaction of

finishing

difficult

academic

activities.

I feel

accomplished

when I

surpass my

academic

goals.

I genuinely

enjoy learning

in the

classroom.

I feel pleasure

when I have a

deeper

understanding

of academic

concepts.

I want to give

back to others

at home.

In order to be

successful in

today's world

I need a

college degree.


How often was each of the following things true during the past week?


1 - never or

rarely

2 - some or a

little of the

time

3 - occasionally

or a moderate

amount of time

4 - most of the

time or all of

the time

I felt

depressed.

I felt sad.

I felt that I

could not

shake off the

blues, even

with help from

my family and

friends.

I was bothered

by things that

usually don't

bother me.

I could not get

"going."

I thought my

life had been a

failure.

I felt that

everything I

did was an

effort.

I had trouble

keeping my

mind on what I

was doing.

I felt hopeful

about the

future.

I felt that

people disliked

me.


Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:


Strongly

disagree

Slightly

disagree

Neutral

Slightly

agree

Strongly

agree

I give my

best effort

no matter

what.

Sometimes

fate or God

can help.

I prefer to

take the

lead in

problem

solving.

I have a

strong sense

of purpose.

I think of

myself as a

strong

person.


Here are a number of personality traits that may or may not apply to you. Please

indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each statement. You should

rate the extent to which the pair of traits applies to you, even if one characteristic

applies more strongly than the other.

I see myself as:


Disagree

strongly

Disagree

moderately

Disagree

a little

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Agree

a

little

Agree

moderately

Agree

strongly

Extraverted,

enthusiastic

Critical,

quarrelsome


Strongly

disagree

Slightly

disagree

Neutral

Slightly

agree

Strongly

agree

I would

have a

hard time

sticking

with a

special,

healthy

diet.

If my

favorite

food were

in front of

me, I

would have

a difficult

time

waiting to

eat it.

Dependable,

self-

disciplined

Anxious,

easily upset

Open to new

experiences,

complex

Reserved,

quiet

Sympathetic,

warm

Disorganized,

careless

Calm,

emotionally

stable

Conventional,

uncreative

When

faced with

a

physically

demanding

chore, I

always

tried to put

off doing it.

I have

given up

physical

pleasure or

comfort to

reach my

goals.

I do not

consider

how my

behavior

affects

other

people.

I hate

having to

take turns

with other

people.

I cannot be

trusted

with

money.

When I am

able to, I

try to save

away a

little

money in

case an

emergency

should

arise.

I cannot

motivate

myself to

accomplish

long-term

goals.

I have

always felt

like my

hard work

would pay

off in the

end.


Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:


Disagree

strongly

Disagree

somewhat

Agree

somewhat

Agree strongly

It doesn't

matter what I

believe as long

as I lead a

moral life.

I have never

felt a sense of

sacredness.

I gain spiritual

strength by

trusting in a

Higher Power.


Strongly

disagree

Slightly

disagree

Neutral

Slightly

agree

Strongly

agree

Before

criticizing

somebody, I

try to imagine

how I would

feel if I were in

his or her

place.

I find that I

am "in tune"

with other

people's

moods.

If I'm sure I'm

right about

something, I

don't waste

much time

listening to

other people's

arguments.

It upsets me to

see someone

being treated

disrespectfully.

I try to look at

everybody's

side of a

disagreement

before I make

a decision.


Not like me

at all

Not much

like me

Somewhat

like me

Mostly like

me

Very much

like me

New ideas

and projects

sometimes

distract me

from

previous

ones.

Setbacks

don't

discourage

me.

I have been

obsessed

with a

certain idea

or project

for a short

time but

later lost

interest.

I am a hard

worker.

I often set a

goal but

later choose

to pursue a

different

one.

I have

difficulty

maintaining

my focus on

projects that

take more

than a few

months to

complete.

I finish

whatever I

begin.

I am

diligent.


Did you read any books this summer?

Yes

No

How would you rate your parents' emotional support in your decision to attend

college?

Poor

Fair

Good

Very Good

Excellent

How would you rate your parents' financial support in your decision to attend

college?

Poor

Fair

Good

Very good

Excellent

Do you know how much your college education will cost?

Yes

No

Do you have open conversations with your parents about the cost of your

education?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

Do you feel confident that your family has the necessary funds to pay for your

college education?

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

What is your best estimate of the total percent of people in the United States that

have graduated college with a degree?

0% - 20%

21% - 40%

41% - 60%

61% - 80%

81% - 100%

Do you have a learning disability?

Yes

No

If you could take any class at the Mount what would it be?

In 100 words or less, provide a specific example of something you did that required

hard work and dedication over an extended period of time.

In 100 words or less, please explain what will keep you motivated over the next four

years to finish your degree.


What do you love to do? Please list 3 specific activities you participate in that are

most important to you. These can be clubs, sports, volunteer, work, student

government, interests & hobbies, paid jobs, etc...(Example: varsity track and

field, robotics club, Habitat for Humanity).

Activity 1

How many years have you been involved in this activity?

Do you intend to pursue this activity at The Mount?

Yes

No

Not possible

Activity 1 highest achievement or greatest accomplishment (positions held, honors,

awards, competitions won, etc.)

Activity 2



Yes

No

Not possible



Activity 3



Yes

No

Not possible



class of 2019 survey

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