This paper presents an analysis of some of the theoretical and methodological frameworks employed in the study of college environments and their effects on students. Generally, analysts only view the college environment from one point of view - that of the overall college environment. However, a variety of approaches is needed in order to accurately describe an environment with subenvironments that more often than not affect students more than the overall environment. Analysts are interested in the effects of college on students in 3 major areas: (1) student change, (2) student stability, and (3) student outcome. The following general approaches have been used to describe, measure, and classify colleges and their environments: (1) anthropological vignettes; (2) conventional (nominal) typologies; (3) attributes of members; (4) demographic, near-demographic, physical, and related institutional characteristics; (5) social structural and social organizational dimensions; and (6) "climate" of the college. The author offers a developmental model that incorporates several of these approaches. (Author/HS)