FAQ

Where do we get misperceptions about college students?

Human nature dictates that infrequesnt events are easily remembered and over-generalized. As a result, we often form stereotypes about college students that are untrue. In addiction, we listen to stories and assume they're accurate. Sometimes we even retell these stories. This maintains misperceptions about students and often leads to further exaggerations.

The media also plays a large role in the creation and maintenance of our misperceptions regarding college students. Advertisements, movies, and negative press all contribute to our formulation of ideas that may not always be accurate.

What's the biggest misperception about college students?

While it is common on college campuses for there to be misperceptions about a variety of student behaviors, the biggest misperception about college students pertains to alcohol use. For example, nationwide, and at UAlbany, students routinely overestimate the quantity and frequency of alcohol use by their peers.

In fact, a recent student survey revealed that 47% of UAlbany respondents thought that the typical UAlbany student drinks alcohol every day. In reality, less than 1% of UAlbany students drink alcohol every day. That’s a HUGE misperception about the frequency of alcohol use on this campus.

How are UAlbany students surveyed?

We survey the same number of people that Gallup samples (the leading surveying agency in the world). They typically survey 1,000 people to legitimately generalize the survey results to the entire U.S. population of 300 million people.

Each spring, 1,000 UAlbany students complete an anonymous health survey. The survey is given in randomly selected classes by staff from the University Counseling Center.

While 1,000 students are surveyed, statistically, only 400 students need to be sampled to generalize the results to the UAlbany undergraduate student body of 12,000; as long as the sample chosen is representative of all UAlbany students (see http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html). The annual spring survey is representative of all UAlbany students across class year, academic department, gender, and race.

Didn't Princeton find that UAlbany is a "party school?"

Many people do not realize that the Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. Like Kaplan, the Princeton Review Foundation is a company thathelps students prepare for college entrance exams such as the SAT.

The Princeton Review is also known for publishing materials that rank universities on a number of factors, including perceived alcohol consumption by students.

When the Princeton Review conducts their survey, the sample of students they use is not randomly selected and it is not a representative sample. As a matter of fact, they only surveyed 300 students at UAlbany!

The students taking their survey are not asked about THEIR OWN alcohol use. Instead they are only asked to estimate the amount of alcohol they THINK the typical UAlbany student consumes. Since most UAlbany students overestimate peer alcohol consumption, their responses to this question are inaccurately inflated.

A more accurate way of assessing UAlbany students' alcohol use would be to ask them about THEIR OWN behavior, just like the University Counseling Center does each spring on the anonymous survey done in classes. All of the information concerning Princeton Review can be found on their website at http://www.princetonreview.com/.

Don’t students lie?

On average, only a very small percentage of people lie on surveys. Also, this is an anonymous survey so there is little reason for someone to lie on any of the health-related questions, including the small section on alcohol.

Has this type of campaign been helpful to students at other universities?

Many universities have found that Social Norms Campaigns have helped correct student misperceptions of peers and has helped to further increase the number of students who make healthy choices. Examples of such successes have taken place at the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University, Florida State University, Northern Illinois University and the University of Arizona, just to name a few.

Will we see more messages?

Yes! Messages are visible throughout the year on and off campus. Below is a list of some of the many places where the messages have been seen (or heard!) over the years. Feel free to check them out and to keep your eyes and ears open for new and creative ways of communicating what’s really going on with UAlbany students.

• Summer Orientation Misperceptions Program
• On-Campus Posters
• Campus Shuttle to the Counseling Center (Patroon Creek)
• In Class Presentations by Dr. Freidenberg
• Residence Hall Presentations by Middle Earth & RAs
• The Real World:UAlbany (Day after Columbus Day)
• Games After Dark (Thursday after Columbus Day)
• Student Involvement E-News
• Albany Student Press
• facebook
• Giveaways (pens, stress balls, hilighters, etc.)
• STAHL (Students Talking About Healthy Lifestyles) News