At most institutions, freshmen are assigned to one of six residence hall types: freshmen-men; freshmen-women; freshmen-coed; freshmen-upperclass-men; freshmen-upperclass-women; and freshmen-upperclass-coed. In an attempt to clarify which of these residence hall arrangements most benefits freshmen, 2,200 freshmen (40 percent) attending 12 colleges and universities from the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states completed two questionnaires. The first assessed residence hall environmental climates and the second questioned the subjects' behaviors since arriving on campus. At the conclusion of the term, institutions forwarded grade point averages for selected groups of freshmen. Results showed that freshmen did perceive significant differences between the environments of the six residence hall types. No significant differences were found between residence hall types and freshmen students' behavior patterns or academic performance. (Summaries of the students' perceptions of each of the six residential environments are included.) (KGB)