The University Environment as a Catalyst for Marriage: A Data Analysis Study

Abstract

The social aspect of student life in higher education is an important indicator that may to a certain extent affect other variables such as student academic performance, student choice of major/minor, the student's choice of the academic institution, the dropout rate, the transfer rate (transfer to another institution).. etc. Data analysis is a powerful way to learn more about the social component of student lives and help identify patterns. Python data analysis libraries allow easy visualization of these patterns and help spot trends that may not be predictable. Such discovered information retrieved from data allows institutions to make more informed decisions and better cater to students' needs. University marriage specifically receives many conflicting opinions, and it bears many questions, including positive and negative real experiences. Many students globally choose to assume this responsibility and combine marriage and study. Nonetheless, some of them feel that they cannot balance marriage and academic life. Some feel that school years are the most suitable time to find a partner while others believe differently. Are university born marriages more common than we may think? Can an academic institution be a catalyst for marriage? In this paper, we use python libraries to analyse data for a case study within the context of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI). The goal is to show how some of the features of python can be used to expose hidden aspects of a given topic of study, in this case the student. We conducted a quantitative and qualitative research methods on the account of marriage between AUI students. Our results reveal that 33.6 % of the alumni respondents married a former school mate from AUI and 32.1 % of currently enrolled students reported that they have already met a future partner.