The first cohort at a new campus: Who are they? Why are they here? Where are they going? What do they bring?

Overall findings from the study conducted by James et al. (1999) include the following:

1. Field of study preferences are clearly the dominant factor in prospective students' decision making.
2. Applicants' field of study preferences are associated with striking differences in the factors they consider important in their choice of a course and university;
3. Applicants focus strongly on broadly conceived course and institutional reputations when making their selections;
4. Course entry scores, and by implication university scores, serve as a proxy for quality in prospective students' eyes;
5. With the exception of ease of access from home, institutional characteristics beyond the specific qualities of particular courses are not strong influences;
6. Applicants report generally low levels of knowledge of specific characteristics of courses and universities.

Why do students choose to come to new campuses and universities?
Little research has investigated the reasons why students choose to attend a new university campus. Harker, Slade and Ivory (1999) specifically addressed the issue of differences between how mature age entrants and school leavers (n=653) undertook the decision to attend a new university in this case, the University of the Sunshine Coast. These researchers found that school leavers were more likely to select a university close to home than mature age students. Mature age students tended to select a university as their one and only choice, whereas school leavers were more likely to submit a number of preferences. For mature age students, the most important reasons for choosing a new university were related to established life patterns that is that it enabled them to continue live at home (27%), to continue family responsibilities (25%), and to continue to work (14%). Being able to continue to live at home (41%) overwhelmingly swayed school leavers. A secondary reason for choosing a new university was cited by school leavers as the ability to start the course there and transfer elsewhere if necessary (20%).

Summary
While a substantial amount of research has been undertaken in the area of 'university' and 'college' choice, there appears to be little written on the reasons for students' choice of a new university campuses. In this paper we explore some of the reasons for the choice of the new Ipswich Campus by the first cohort of students there, what expectations they have and what skills they bring.