Abstract: Methods of mathematical statistics were applied to evaluate the effects of categorical data, such as freshmen’s mental health, on average grades of some terms and average grades of some courses, thereby providing information on the psychological mechanism of early warning and assistance to all concerned. The analyzed data was collected from the University Personality Inventory results and the examination results of students enrolled in 2002 into a certain key science and engineering university. The results show that students who have suicidal tendency, or regard their past and family life as unfortunate, score obviously lower than other students; and that those who had the experienced syncopy or spasm before entering college also performed poorly. Concentration is an important guarantee of achieving good grade in college.

Key words: generalized linear model, categorical data, University Personality Inventory, average grade, freshman’s mental health