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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: December 17, 2014
Summary Sentence:
Here are five observations of college students.
Full Summary:
No summary paragraph submitted.
Stamps placeholder image1. They love Apple.
Love, love, love it. Possibly more than you thought they did. Asked to name the first brand they could think of, 25 percent of students said Apple. That’s twice as high as the second-place brands, Nike and Coca-Cola.
2. Print is not dead to them.
Today’s college students, much like most professionals, feel comfortable in front of a screen. A majority said they preferred a digital format when reading, studying, taking notes, and doing problem sets. That said, a substantial portion of students said they preferred to do those course-related activities with paper and ink—about 40 percent, depending on the activity.
3. They’re not that into Twitter.
If you’re one of those people who worry that young people are being numbed to complexity by Twitter’s 140-character limit, you can stop worrying now. Only 26 percent of respondents said they used Twitter. Among social-networking sites, that’s miles behind Facebook (90 percent) and Instagram (64 percent).
4. They think libraries and computer labs are swell.
Students are concerned about the cost of going to college. Two-thirds of survey respondents said the cost of college was “excessive,” and nearly that many identified it as one of the biggest problems on the campus. But among the campus buildings and services that contribute to that cost, students believe libraries and computer labs are giving them the most for their buck.
5. They have not ditched scholarly works for Wikipedia.
Professors might not disdain Wikipedia as much as they used to, but some might still worry that students are relying on the free, user-edited encyclopedia. Good news for them: Only 49 percent of respondents said they had used Wikipedia. A smaller group, 28 percent, said they visited the site regularly.
