| [August 04, 2005] |
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Reality Sets In: Weeks Away from First Semester, College-Bound Freshmen and Parents Confess Anxieties; As 'Graduation Glow' Fades, Best Buy Survey Exposes Chief Back-to-School Stresses
MINNEAPOLIS --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 4, 2005 -- Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY):
-- Bundles of Nerves: Freshmen show more signs of worry than parents
-- Freakishly Tiny Dorms: 1 in 3 new freshmen anxious about cramped space
-- Thievery: More than half of parents anxious about child's tech security
This fall, more than 15 million college freshmen will make the great trek toward membership in the Class of 2009(1). In the first leg of this journey, students and their parents must navigate the transition from the comfort of home to the potential discomfort of the dorm. Over the past two weeks, Best Buy polled incoming college freshmen and parents of incoming college freshmen about their attitudes toward the "Back to School" transition(2), uncovering remarkable similarities and startling differences in opinion over what's ahead.
"Gearing up to go off to college for the first time is a watershed event for parents and students, often for very different reasons," said Tracey Malone, a Best Buy store manager. "Whether it's the prospect of a cramped dorm room or the absence of face-to-face contact, students and their parents both feel anxious about the transition."
"Calm" Is Relative
Sending your child off to college for the first time can be hard on any parent, but it can be even more stressful for the entering freshman. In the Best Buy survey, more than 30 percent of students agreed that they shared six "major stresses," including managing their time, making new friends, failing their courses, living in close quarters with someone else, being away from home and fitting their stuff into tiny dorm rooms. Compared to parents, who picked only one "major stress" with similar frequency--their child's time management skills--it would appear that incoming freshmen are downright neurotic.
"Managing time, staying connected and dealing with schoolwork are among the biggest concerns we're seeing this year, both from students and parents," said Malone. He recommends arming students with all-in-one cell-phone/PDA (personal digital assistant) devices to help manage time. This gives them all of the benefits of a standalone, pocket-sized organizer without having to worry about carrying multiple devices.
Big Men and Women on Campus... Live in Tiny Dorms
As the old adage says, the more things change, the more they stay the same: while "back-to-school" technology has evolved dramatically over the past few decades, the size of a typical dorm room hasn't. Some 31 percent of incoming freshmen surveyed agree that "having a dorm room too small for all your stuff" is a major source of stress. Another 37 percent say that "living in close quarters with someone else" is equally concerning. With more than half of surveyed freshmen planning to bring at least eight pieces of technology to school with them-from MP3 players to computers to televisions--it's no wonder they're concerned.
"Portability is as important to students and parents as ever this year," said Malone. "More and more students tell us they can't live without their laptop computers, and it's easy to see why. The amount of stuff a typical student needs has grown exponentially, while the size of the room has not."
For small dorm rooms, smaller devices that integrate multiple features can be ideal solutions. For example, most new laptops offer DVD playback, and given the popularity of digital music downloads, can be outfitted with home-theater-quality speakers to eliminate the need for a separate stereo. To replace those bulky television sets of old, a wide variety of flat-panel screens offer amazing quality at a fraction of the space--some can even perform double duty as a larger computer monitor.
Better to Catch a Thief? Or to Be Obsolete?
While the Best Buy survey results show that incoming freshmen harbor more worries than their parents, Mom and Dad surpass their student's stress level on one important front: safety. Fifty-four percent of surveyed parents are concerned about theft of their children's technology, more than double the number of students who express this particular concern. Another 17 percent of parents are worried about their child's online safety specifically.
Students, on the other hand, are more inclined to rank gadget obsolescence as their most pressing technology concern. One in every four expressed concerns that their "back-to-school" technology will become "obsolete in a year."
"It's not unusual for parents and kids to differ about safety, whether the issue is wearing a bike helmet or taking precautions on the Internet," said Malone. "For their own peace of mind, parents should consider a variety of security options, ranging from locks that guard against theft to Geek Squad Agents, who make up the 24-hour tech support task force that helps protect computers from premature retirement caused by viruses and spyware."
I'm Finally on My Own! (But I'll Call You Later, Dad...)
Despite their disagreements, students and their parents are united in their reliance on staying in touch with family and friends. Thirty-four percent of entering college students say that "socializing and communicating" are the primary uses of their technology (second only to "schoolwork" at 36 percent). Fifty-four percent of parents surveyed agree that they're concerned about keeping in touch with their children.
In terms of how they will stay in touch, more than two-thirds of both groups agree they'll keep in touch with the other via cell phone. Students will connect to their friends primarily through instant messaging (41 percent).
"Staying in touch is one area that we hear both parents and students say is essential," observed Malone. "With more students going off to school than ever before, we're fortunate that so many options are available for staying connected with our families and friends. While the variety of choices--from mobile-phones to PDAs--can be overwhelming, we're here to help them navigate the maze of communications options."
About Best Buy Co, Inc.
Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) is an innovative Fortune 100 growth company that continually strives to create superior customer experiences. Through more than 840 retail stores across the United States and in Canada, our employees connect customers with technology and entertainment products and services that make life easier and more fun. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services. A Minneapolis-based company, our operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com and BestBuyCanada.ca), Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com) and Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com). We support our communities through employee volunteerism and grants from The Best Buy Children's Foundation.
(1) Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics
(2) Statistics cited in the above release were findings from an e-mail invitation survey conducted among a nationally representative group of 18- to 21-year olds, as well as a nationally representative group of adults ages 40+ with at least one household member between the ages of 18 and 21. The survey was conducted between the dates of July 25 and August 2, 2005. The sample is comprised of 738 incoming freshmen and 406 parents of incoming freshmen. Questionnaire design and analysis was done by Ketchum Global Research Network and fieldwork was conducted by Decision Analyst Inc.
Respondents qualified for the survey under the following criteria. They are:
-- College freshmen enrolled as a first-year college student this fall and plan to live in a dormitory
-- Parents of college freshmen who have a child enrolled this fall as a first-year college student. The child currently lives with them and plans to live in a dormitory for the fall semester. They have no other children who are college students or college graduates.
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