2007 UVA freshmen computer survey released…

College Life
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<p>This morning’s top story at the “ars technica” website features the 2007 UVA (University of Virginia) freshmen class computer survey. Out of 3117 freshmen who filled out the survey, only 4 students showed up on campus without some kind of computer. This has prompted the school’s administration to consider closing down or curtailing the number of computer labs on campus as a way of saving money. The reaction to this story in the ars technica forum has generated a lively debate on the need for campus wide computer labs. </p>

<p>See: [When</a> every student has a laptop, why run computer labs? - Ars Technica](<a href=“When every student has a laptop, why run computer labs? | Ars Technica”>When every student has a laptop, why run computer labs? | Ars Technica)</p>

<p>Beyond the fact that 99.9% of the 2007 freshmen class brought some kind of computer to campus, the breakdown between desktop vs. laptops and operating systems provides some hard numbers in the university computer marketplace.</p>

<p>Of the 3113 UVA freshmen, 3058 had laptops vs. 47 desktops. For students that had two computers, those same 47 desktop students also had a laptop. Only 9 students had a Tablet PC.</p>

<p>In the continuing battle between Macs and PCs, the overwhelming winner is Windows: 72% of computers ran Vista or XP. OSX ran a distant second with 26%. And 2% ran “other” (read Linux). Only 2 students were running Windows on their Mac. </p>

<p>As to the perennial question on CC about should I bring a printer to college? 90% of UVA freshmen did. And 232 freshmen brought a dedicated game console to school. </p>

<p>See: [UVa</a> First-Year Student Computer Inventory, Fall 2007](<a href=“ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS”>ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS)</p>

<p>The surveys go back to 1997. The year to year comparison charts shows computer ownership and the movement from desktops to laptops. In 1997, 634 students did not have a computer entering school. By 2007, that number dropped to 4. In 1997, desktops outnumbered laptops 1508 to 295. By 2007, 3058 laptops trounced 47 desktops. The tipping point seems to be 2002 where laptops slightly beat out desktops (1462 laptops vs. 1263 desktops). By 2003, only 824 desktops graced dorm rooms vs. 1898 laptops. </p>

<p>While Macs continue to make grow their presence on campus, the changeover to an Intel architecture in 2006 shows greater student interest as ownership costs decline relative to Windows based machines.</p>

<p>Of course, your school numbers may vary…</p>

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<p>How many incoming freshmen are there at UVA? This type of survey would definitely suffer from extreme response bias, though it looks like a pretty significant chunk responded.</p>

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<p>I’m pretty sure that’s all the freshmen. I don’t think it’s just a portion of them.</p>

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<p>Oh I see. So this was a mandatory survey? Or was it part of the housing info…</p>

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<p>See: [University</a> of Virginia Admissions Profiles](<a href=“http://www.eduers.com/University/Virginia/University_of_Virginia.html]University”>http://www.eduers.com/University/Virginia/University_of_Virginia.html)</p>

<p>2006-2007 Admissions Statistics Selectivity: Most Selective
Overall acceptance rate: 37%
Early-decision acceptance rate: N/A
Early-action acceptance rate: N/A
Acceptance rate (excluding early-action and early-decision students): 37%
Total applicants: 16,086
Total acceptances: 6,019
Total freshman enrollment: 3,091</p>

<p>So 3117 freshmen for 2007 as compared to the 2006-2007 freshmen class (3091) means everyone participated in the survey.</p>