Continuing a decade-long trend, findings from recent annual surveys of first-year college students have documented their participation in community service as high-school seniors at record high levels (Higher Education Research Institute, 1999, 2000, 2001). Eighty-one percent of the 2000 respondents reported volunteering during senior year, although only 24% expected to continue their volunteer work in college. Because other recent data indicate that 64% of undergraduates actually do volunteer (Levine & Cureton, 1998), the college experience may involve students in the community in ways they do not anticipate when they enter. This study investigates the phenomenon of shifting patterns of community service participation during the transition between high school and college and, in so doing, seeks to arrive at greater understanding of the dynamics of social participation and involvement among young adults. (Contains 7 endnotes.)