Freshmen at US colleges remain optimistic about their prospects

Chronicle of Higher Education : The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA has released the survey it conducted last year of freshmen at US colleges and universities. The effects of the economic downturn were evident from the responses. More students than before are living at home and studying at universities within 100 miles of their hometowns. Still, the respondents remain optimistic about their prospects. The survey also revealed two trends that are not directly related to the economic slump: 38.2% of freshmen said they expected to communicate regularly with their professors, presumably through increased use of electronic media, and 31.5% said they intended to study abroad.