This document describes a counseling center-developed workshop for incoming college freshmen at Clemson University (South Carolina) designed to help students choose a college major and prepare for study in that major. The workshop described was offered in conjunction with new student orientation as a proactive effort to promote adjustment and to…

This study examined the effects of an introductory counseling course on retention rates of students at Western Kentucky University (WKU). Rates of graduation after 4, 5, and 6 years for 400 freshmen and 474 sophomores enrolled in an academic orientation and preparation course between 1990 and 1994 were compared with WKU and regional rates during…

A quasi-experimental design using four matched groups of 88 students each of entering college freshmen investigated the question of whether increasing exposure to different types of orientation programming would have any effect upon freshman academic performance and reaction to college. The types of orientation included: (1) traditional…

This paper describes the development and operation of a high school orientation program using peer facilitators. The activities of the administrative team (two school social workers, a guidance counselor, and an assistant principal) are described, as is training of upper classmen to be peer facilitators for freshmen orientation. A brief…

Student transfers from school to school at the elementary and secondary levels have been increasing for many decades. A proposed typology of major school transfer flows distinguishes between "systemic" transfers, caused by changes in school structures, and "individualistic" transfers, caused by family or individual changes. Within this typology,…

Presents an investigation into situational characteristics and their relationship to factors affecting graduate students' judgments of the relevance of information; proposes new student orientation as an exercise in information retrieval; and explains a process model of socialization to meet new students' information needs. (Contains 14…

More and more older adults are returning to college, either to complete academic degrees or to take refresher courses in their professional areas. Educators can accommodate nontraditional students' needs by understanding the motivations that bring these students back to school and by providing them with educational counseling that will enhance…

An orientation course at an Ohio college was designed to help college freshmen adjust to the values of a new living/learning community, using personal journal writing to develop the students' coping skills. Life issues considered essential in adult development theory--identity, intimacy, autonomy, and competency--serve as a background for the…

Drawing on findings of two Center for the Study of Community College (CSCC) projects, this paper reviews some of the services offered by community colleges to facilitate transfer to four-year institutions. Introductory material provides background on the low rates of student transfer and on the CSCC projects, which involve 6 large urban community…

The Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) in Ohio conducted a survey of 239 institutions belonging to the University of South Carolina's National Resource Center for the Freshman Year Experience (FYE) to identify elements of a model program that could be established at other institutions. The summary revealed five key ingredients…

Researchers have begun to analyze community college retention data in terms of students' stated objectives upon entry. By categorizing students based upon their most important reason for attending college, meaningful follow-up and assessment of students' goal attainment can be conducted. Program evaluation studies have produced evidence that…

This paper discusses the development, implementation, and results of an intercultural training program for the students of the Marriott School of Management (MSM) at Brigham Young University, Utah. Complaints from MSM international students that they felt some sense of abandonment by MSM and the university promoted a research study on…

Perspectives on the roles of academic advisors are considered. It is suggested that academic advisors are often "boundary spanners," those who participate in two or more aspects of the activities of the institution. Academic advisors' functions cut across multidisciplinary lines, affecting curricular decisions and curriculum development,…

Little is known concerning the satisfaction of newly admitted graduate students with their program's orientation process. In fact, Pruitt-Logan and Isaac (1995) called graduate students' experience "the great unaddressed academic issue in higher education." Some research has addressed specific aspects of graduate student orientation and retention,…

A study examined goals and assessment techniques of college wilderness orientation programs designed to ease student adjustment to college life and increase retention. Questionnaires returned by 57 directors of wilderness orientation programs indicated that most programs supported prosocial goals such as positive peer-group development, enhanced…