Student characteristics, opinions, and projections for fall 1981 entering freshmen at the University of South Carolina (USC) were compared to national norms, based on administration of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program questionnaire of the American Council of Education. Twelve areas of interest that were selected for analysis from the questionnaire are as follows: age, racial background, average grade in high school, highest degree planned anywhere, reasons noted as very important in choice of college, estimated parental income, probable major field of study, student concern about financing college, political orientation, parents' work status, views on controversial issues, and future estimations regarding education, career, and marriage, Responses are broken down by students' field of study and sex (when significant). It was found that the average entering freshman at USC for fall 1981 was: female; 18 years old; white/caucasian; a "B" student in high school; hopeful of achieving at least a bachelor's or master's degree; likely to have gone to college in order to find a better job; probably from a family with an annual income of between $15,000 and $50,000; intending to major in business or general studies or undecided; from a household where the mother works all or most of the time away from home; and middle-of-the-road politically. Compared with entering freshmen nationally, USC entering freshmen were: generally more likely to seek an advanced degree; similar in political orientation, socioeconomic levels, and views on controversial issues; and more likely to be pursuing business administration as a major and less likely to be pursuing professional fields of study. (SW)