This longitudinal study of first-generation (FG), low-income students considers the impact of their participation in a Multicultural Learning Community (MLC) designed to challenge the isolation and marginalization such students experience at a large Midwestern research university. The study explores the extent to which learning community design,…

This study used a representative metropolitan sample to make longitudinal comparisons of college-bound and non-college-bound youth on incidents and predictors of heavy drinking. Respondents in the six-wave study were ages 13-16 at wave 1 and 18-21 at wave 6 (n's ranged from roughly 425-500 for different analyses). College/non-college comparisons…

The present study compares college adjustment among emerging adults beginning college in 2000 (before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) and in 2001 (three weeks before 9/11). A prospective longitudinal design was used to follow 41 students throughout their first college year. Participants completed questionnaires about symptoms of anxiety…

This study examines the college transition of students who participated in a summer bridge program. Three surveys collected longitudinal data on these students' aspirations and academic and social activities. Data provided from institutional research on their academic progress were also analyzed. A control group composed of non-participating…

This study uses longitudinal data comprised of responses to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) 2000 Freshman Survey and the 2001 Your First College Year (YFCY) Survey to investigate the impact of first-year seminars on key student outcomes. Specifically, descriptive analyses address the relationship between taking a first-year…

This study explored men's and women's emotional health during the first college year and identified college environments and experiences associated with changes in emotional health for both groups. The sample included 17,331 first-year college students who were surveyed in fall 2000 and spring 2001 at 50 institutions nationwide. Findings revealed…

Surveyed over 25 years first-year students entering college undecided about a major. Entering students' responses were consistent in terms of their demographic characteristics, reasons for attending college, and levels of undecidedness. Their levels of anxiety about choosing a major increased only slightly. They did not differ significantly from a…

Examined whether college graduation rates of students taking a first-year seminar differed significantly from a comparison group. Found a significantly greater graduation rate for those enrolled in the seminar. Also found that the effect of the seminar was greatest for students from middle to lower high school deciles and minimal for students from…

First-year students completed surveys on their study habits and grade predictions, which were compared to final course grades and retention, and then to enrollment status and cumulative grade point average (GPA) 8 years later. Found that graduates earned higher course grades and higher cumulative GPAs and more accurately predicted their course…

Tracked five cohorts of first-year students for 6 years to determine how many, by gender and race, were academically suspended, how many of those returned, and of those who returned, how many graduated. Found that a greater percentage of males than females and Black than White students were academically suspended. Minority males were the most…

This study investigated the effects of learning communities on the educational development of first-year college students at a large, urban, highly selective, research university. These communities, known as "clusters," comprised a year long sequence of theme-oriented courses that were team taught and that included interdisciplinary lectures and…

This longitudinal study compares academic and social integration and intent to persist of two cohorts of freshmen (total n=132) at the American InterContinental University (England), of whom 70 successfully completed a one-term freshman orientation course and 62 did not take the course. Preliminary results suggest that the course promotes…

A study used Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) data to examine attitude trends in the Austin College (Texas) freshman classes from 1985-94. Longitudinal and cross-sectional trends are compared to distinguish period, age, and cohort effects. The effect Austin College has had on student attitudes is discussed. Use of CIRP data is…