Among the top-ranked reasons or factors motivating our students to attend college are four goals directly or indirectly related to General Education. It is worth noting that to gain a general education and appreciation of ideas has remained students’ second ranked reason for attending college throughout the past six years.

Sonoma State Students’ Very Important Reasons for Deciding to Attend College
factors or reasons	‘96	‘97	‘98	‘99	‘00	‘01	average
To learn more about things that interest me	86%	82%	n/a	79%	80%	82%	82%
To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas	72%	70%	65%	62%	64%	65%	66%
To improve my reading and study skills	55%	50%	44%	41%	39%	40%	45%
To become a more cultured person	46%	45%	49%	35%	40%	43%	43%

The table below shows Estimated Gains items from the 1999 CSEQ and the percentage of upper division SSU students reporting Substantial Gain on each item.

Estimate of Gains Items in Descending Order of Percentages
items	percent
Understanding yourself, your abilities, interests, and personality.	83%
Learning on your own, pursuing ideas, and finding information you need.	82%
Developing the ability to get along with different kinds of people.	80%
Learning to adapt to change (new technologies, different jobs or personal circumstances, etc.).	79%
Thinking analytically and logically.	76%
Putting ideas together, seeing relationships, similarities, and differences between ideas.	76%
Developing the ability to function as a team member.	75%
Gaining a range of information that may be relevant to a career.	75%
Presenting ideas and information effectively when speaking to others.	73%
Developing your own values and ethical standards.	73%
Gaining a broad general education about different fields of knowledge.	72%
Writing clearly and effectively.	69%
Using computers and other information technologies.	67%
Becoming aware of different philosophies, cultures, and ways of life.	66%
Acquiring background and specialization for further education in a professional, scientific, or scholarly field.	64%
Acquiring knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work (vocational preparation).	61%
Seeing the importance of history for understanding the present as well as the past.	57%
Becoming aware of the consequences (benefits, hazards, dangers) of new applications of science and technology.	54%
Analyzing quantitative problems (understanding probabilities, proportions, etc.).	52%
Gaining knowledge about other parts of the world and other people (Asia, Africa, South American, etc.).	51%
Broadening your acquaintance with and enjoyment of literature.	45%
Understanding the nature of science and experimentation.	43%
Understanding new developments in science and technology.	43%
Developing an understanding and enjoyment of art, music, and drama.	36%