Background: Few studies have examined physical activity during the transition from high school to college. Purpose: To examine changes in physical activity and physical activity patterns among females during the transition from high school to college. Methods: Sixty-nine females (age 18.2 [plus or minus] 0.4 years; body mass index 21.8 [plus or…

Examines how one university took on the challenge of improving student retention. Also discusses the impact of this endeavor on the institutional culture. (GCP)

Examined values systems of first-year college students and the changes they undergo during the first semester, using two different campus environments. Findings from 104 university and 86 first-year students revealed that student experiences during the first semester and/or influence of campus environment did not significantly alter their values…

Describes student perceptions of what it means to be a new college/university student. Collects and analyzes metaphors generated by first-year university students to describe the first-year experience. (SR)

The success of an orientation leader depends upon three things: an understanding of the college, an understanding of the entering student, and an ability to communicate and empathize. The purpose of this report is to examine the psychological world of the new student through the words he uses, the meaning they hold for him, and the impact they…

Understanding the prime-time television portrait of college helps educators better understand the expectations our entering students may hold of college life.

This study examined sense of belonging among a national sample of 2,967 first-year students. Guided by the work of Hurtado and Carter (1997), relationships between several aspects of the college environment and sense of belonging were examined. Findings indicated that African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian Pacific American students reported…

The freshman year of college is usually acknowledged as a stressful time of social and academic adjustment. During this period, first-year students face many social and intellectual challenges. For high school athletes, the combined impact of college transition plus disengagement from sport can further complicate first-semester adjustment and may…

What is known about freshman students, especially about their lived experience, is fragmentary and unsystematic. This study attempted to construct a comprehensive portrait of the daily experience of freshmen at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. A total of 24 students (20 women, 4 men) participated in the study during a 3-month period.…

This report describes the results of 2 questionnaires designed to measure students' perceptions of and satisfaction with aspects of their small liberal arts college environment. The test was administered to samples of students enrolled in the experimental program, alternates (students who had volunteered for the experimental program but were not…

The College and University Environmental Scales (CUES) were used to investigate possible effects of the Group Life Seminar (GLS) on freshmen's perceptions of the Kansas State University environment. The findings suggest that the GLS participants perceived the campus as being more practical, friendly, open, and academically challenging than did…

In this study, freshmen who appointed themselves to each of the four Clark-Trow subgroups (vocational, academic, collegiate, and nonconformist) are compared with a freshman class distribution five years earlier. Reliability of the model is affirmed, and evidence of its validity is provided. (Author)

Results of comparing freshmen who had pre-college counseling with those who did not indicate any significant differences during freshman year. (CJ)

Transition into the college environment involves a range of issues not only for the entering student but also for the parent. The College Survival Test (CST) is a program designed to present a wide range of issues concerning college life that allows focused input by college officials and students. (Author)