Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Poll Shows Slump’s Effects on Students

The recession has forced many college freshmen to attend schools close to home or otherwise tailor their plans to minimize expenses. A recent survey found the number of freshmen who chose their schools for reasons of low tuition, financial aid or proximity to home reached an all-time high in 1991, the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA said. And the number of freshmen who entered college because they couldn’t find work was the highest since 1982. Eric L. Dey, associate director of the survey, said the findings show that “economic realities are forcing many students . . . to choose colleges on the basis of economic, rather than educational, considerations.�