ALMA MATTERS

ET CETERA

THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

'Bright college days," sang Tom Lehrer long ago, "carefree days that fly" Do they ever. And how easily we forget them.

Most of us probably take a more generous view of the S.A.T.'s than we did in our school days. A majority of Americans consider them either a "necessary evil" or a "successful equalizer"; only a third of us regard them as a waste of time or a "failed ideal." And a whopping 86 percent don't care one way or the other—if someone we know was a member of a fraternity or a sorority; as undergrads, most of us almost certainly cared—one way or the other—a great deal.

It gets worse: two-thirds of us don't know what state Northwestern University is in. And it certainly gets worse for those in the fund-raising game: most college grads can't name the current president or dean of their alma mater, although, presumably, they can name their alma mater. Finally, more Americans object to their college-age kids making fake IDs than to those same kids keeping farm animals in their dorm rooms. Even more interesting: Republicans object less to that agrarian housing situation. Clearly the enlightened party, at least as regards dorm rooms (though perhaps we should have asked about cohabitating with farm animals of the opposite sex).

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 861 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone March 1-3, 2013. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

If you had a child in college who was offered a dream job, what advice would you give him or her?

if you had a child in y the U first year of college, what is the last thing you would like to hear . about him or her?

Which of the following do you wish you'd done more of in college?

Which of these I people is NOT colleg dropout?

If we could do ollege all over again, most Americans would choose studying over sex. And we know exactly what we'd be eating kwhile doing it

In which state is Northwestern University located?

What comes closest to how you would describe the S.A.T.'s?

Which of the following movies would you most like your college experience to have , resembled?

If you were to find out that a friend had been a member of a fraternity or sorority, , how would you . V feel? /

Can you name the current dean or president of your alma mater?

Which of the following did you . consume the most \ during college compared to any 7 other time in your V life? >