Survey: Inside a College Student's Head

Have you ever wanted to get inside a college student's head? To know what students like, dislike, what their concerns are, and what they shop for? CreditDonkey.com did and surveyed 1,041 college students between August 2 and August 27, 2012 to tell us, in their own words, their personal needs, concerns, and favorites things.

CreditDonkey.com aggregated their open-ended responses to illustrated some of their most frequently used words.

What personal thing do you need the most at college?

What personal thing do you need the most at college? © CreditDonkey

22% of respondents included the word "laptop."

9% mentioned "food" and 6% mentioned "phone", both of which outranked "money," which only 5% included.

3% listed "books" and 2% included "clothes." Surprisingly, "toiletries," "friends," and "space" barely register on their radar.

What personal thing do you need the least at college?

What personal thing do you need the least at college? © CreditDonkey

When we asked that question, the responses came pouring in.

The top 10 most frequently used words were:

1. phone
   
2. clothes
   
3. video games
   
4. alcohol
   
5. television
   
6. books
   
7. iPod
   
8. food (Editor's Note: The one thing we miss the most about college is free food.)
   
9. friends
   
10. Xbox

What costs are you most concerned about?

What costs are you most concerned about? © CreditDonkey

"Tuition" ranked #1, with 36% of respondents mentioning tuition as their top concern.

The top 10 most frequently used words were:

1. tuition (@ 36%)
   
2. food (@ 13%)
   
3. rent (@ 12%)
   
4. costs
   
5. books
   
6. student loans
   
7. housing
   
8. gas
   
9. textbooks
   
10. fees

What is your favorite thing to buy online?

What is your favorite thing to buy online? © CreditDonkey

"Clothes" ranked #1, with 21% of respondents preferring to buy clothes online over other items.

The top 7 most frequently used words were:

1. clothes (@ 21%)
   
2. books (@ 16%)
   
3. games (@ 14%)
   
4. movies (@ 9%)
   
5. electronics (@ 8%)
   
6. music (@ 5%)
   
7. shoes (@ 3%)