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Two-thirds now enroll in college Survey says students consider future By Sara Murphy Last year, more than two-thirds of Southern Oregon�s high school students enrolled in college within six months of graduation, according to a recent survey sponsored by the Oregon University System. The numbers hold true across the state, where 70.5 percent of the class of 1999 signed up to start classes during fall or winter term. In the Southern Oregon region � which includes Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Josephine counties � the figure is 68 percent. "More young people are recognizing that college is essential for them to fulfill their own career aspirations and visions of the future," said Bob Bruce, OUS spokesman. The state university system began biennial surveys of high school graduates in 1993 to help determine whether � and why � Oregon�s students were seeking education in other states, Bruce said. The studies have seen a greater number of students attending four-year institutions: 41 percent in 1999, compared to 35.3 percent in 1997. Mara Affre, admissions director at Southern Oregon University, said the number of Oregon freshmen who have been admitted to SOU this fall is 15 percent higher than last year, while the overall number of admissions is about even. "I think we see a lot of students looking for the overall experience we provide," Affre said. Most students who attend SOU cite a combination of academics and the region�s outdoor opportunities as reasons for their decision, she said. About 78 percent of students enrolled at SOU in fall 1999 were from Oregon, while 42 percent were from Jackson County, Affre said. In 1999, nearly 24 percent of graduates attended Oregon public universities, according to the OUS study. Those students cited proximity to home, high quality programs in their majors and affordable costs as the top three reasons for their college choice. A quarter of Oregon�s high school graduates attended state community colleges last year. Most said they wanted to stay close to home and couldn�t afford the cost of attending a state university. Still, about 80 percent of those students said they planned to transfer to an Oregon public university sometime in the future. Some 13 percent of Oregon graduates enrolled in four-year schools outside the state last year. Fewer than 4 percent attended Oregon�s private colleges. Students who left the state said they chose schools with a "better academic reputation," wanted to leave Oregon and received scholarships. Ralph Burrelle, a North Medford High School guidance counselor, said those findings ring true. Though he hasn�t seen the OUS study, Burrelle said students typically choose colleges based on programs, location and costs. "Every year we have some of the very best stay in Oregon and some of the very best leave," Burrelle said. "It�s just a matter of what fits them best." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA