“How do Transfer Students and Direct Admits Mix? A Case Study of Peer Effects”
Using administrative student data from one of the University of California schools, this paper investigates possible peer effects of transfer students on direct admits. Interviews and focus groups with over 40 students help inform the set of controls used such that the percentage of transfer students in classes is conditionally exogenous. I find a small, statistically significant positive effect on direct admits’ grades in classes with a higher percentage of transfer students. The effect does not vary based on upper or lower division classes but does vary based on the field of class. Considering cumulative exposure to transfer students, preliminary results suggest that this positive effect is due to classes being curved. These peer effects also drive a shorter time-to-degree for direct admits, and by linking the data to survey data on immediate post-graduation outcomes, I find early evidence of effects on choosing graduate school over employment.
“How do Transfer Students and Direct Admits Compare? Academically and Post-Graduation”
Using administrative student data from one of the University of California schools, this paper analyzes the status of transfer students entering between 2012 to 2019 compared to direct admits. Academic outcomes, such as on-time graduation rates, time-to-degree, and final GPA, all improved over the sample period, but the gap between the two student groups remains. By linking the data to survey data, this paper also provides insight into initial post-graduation outcomes for students that graduated between 2016 to 2022. Compared to direct admits, transfer students are 9-13 percentage points less likely to be in full-time employment after graduating. Internship experience is the most important factor, with other aspects like GPA and major contributing as well, however these variables do not fully explain the difference between transfer students and direct admits. Transfer students are also 5 to 7 percentage points more likely to still be planning for graduate school as opposed to already enrolled in a program.
“Did COVID-19 Academically Scar College Students?”
This project uses administrative student data for students that enter between 2012 to 2019 to determine if students who took foundational classes remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly performed worse in advanced classes than peers who took foundational classes in-person before the pandemic. Preliminary results show similar findings to other related papers, such as a large decrease in time-to-degree and larger graduation rates for cohorts affected by the pandemic. By liking the data to a university survey, this project will also be able to document how students’ post-graduation outcomes were affected by the pandemic.
“Coming From Quarter Versus Semester Systems – How Transfer Students Fared” (with Tihi Gatihi and Carlos Rodriguez)
(Analysis in progress)