Why don't more students use the career center? Shane J. Lopez argues that the traditional career center has not kept up with students' needs. He suggests that they reimagine themselves as places where students identify and nurture their strengths in order to find fulfilling work and create fulfilling lives.

Though many programs for undecided students focus on the "developing purpose" vector, the author argues that putting purpose before competency is putting the cart before the horse. In this article, she shares practical strategies she has used to help her students at the University of Arizona reach competence in understanding the academic world.…

College campuses look different today, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, than they did 50 years ago. The buildings and signage may look almost the same, but the students who learn in those buildings definitely do not. Increased access and the diversity movement have resulted in younger and older students sitting side by side in the…

In this article, the author examines the challenges of highly mobile students and what educators can do to retain and support them. The findings and recommendations presented here are based on two complementary research projects conducted with homeless students transitioning from high school to college. The author focuses on the residential…

Research on college choice, like research on general college experiences, has focused mainly on the process for all students as well as on racial or ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged students. Less is known about the potential concerns for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (GLBTQ) college students. In this article, the…

Over the last four years at Union College, the authors and their colleagues have developed a successful peer-mentoring program called Peer Assistants for Learning (PALs). Students are faced with many stressors and need help in addressing issues that may be troubling them, many of which are not academic issues. Students may perceive that faculty…

Though many institutions provide an a la carte approach to the first year, Julie Alexander and John Gardner argue that meeting the needs of first-year students requires a cohesive strategic action plan. Here is their practical framework for mapping and developing such a plan.

Educating the student body on mental health involves outreach to groups not normally exposed to this information, including athletes, ethnic groups, residence hall inhabitants, fraternities and sororities, and international students. Frontline responders can help facilitate this outreach through initiatives that involve presentations by counselors…

At what point does a paradigm become so prevalent that it loses its utility? Probably when attempts to simplify complex concepts become oversimplification. A case in point may be the use of the term "millennials". The designations "millennials" and "millennial generation" are frequently used, allegedly to paint a nuanced portrait of today's…

This author relates how, as a college student with an invisible disability, his experience affected his awareness of students with similar challenges and how educators can serve these students better. Henning shares his story in hopes that it will affect others' awareness of these students' challenges. To help students with hidden disabilities, he…

In this article, the author describes how the orientation staff at the University of Louisville used a unique blend of play and student learning to engage more students more deeply in their orientation experience as they learn the basics for success in college. This approach to orientation is based from Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John…

Thinkers and scholars have been pondering the meaning of the baccalaureate degree for many years. The author examines current thinking about the core skills students need to learn in college and reveals its historical precedents. (GCP)

A fair amount is known about what first-generation students need to succeed, but some mysteries remain. The author's research provides some insight on why certain students make it and others do not. (GCP)

In order to improve the enrollment and retention statistics of Latino students, colleges and universities need to evaluate their approach toward Latino students and use culturally sensitive methods to asses how well students' needs are being met. This research focused on the relationship between ethnic identity and acculturation, which illustrates…

This article notes that very little is known about high-achieving black students, even though these students have an important role to play in both institutional and society at large. Examines who these students are, how college is different for them, and their special struggles and needs. (GCP)