A study identified and compared the self-reported social, emotional, financial, and health problems of nontraditional, urban commuting college freshmen to determine their impact on academic success or failure. No significant correlations with achievement were found. Other findings included a greater number of emotional and health problems reported…

Examined grade point averages (GPAs) of students (n=80) residing off-campus or in university dormitories. Data collected from official university records included GPA, American College Testing (ACT) scores, and housing accommodations. Found no significant differences between GPAs of on-campus and off-campus students. Academic ability, as measured…

Building on the foundation of research on how critical thinking develops during college and on the extensive research on differences in the resident and commuter student experiences, this article explores aspects of the college experience that might be associated with cognitive development. Analyzes data from six institutions representing 326…

This study examined the effect of on-campus living upon scholastic achievement, dropout rate, and the number of students placed on academic probation, at York College of Pennsylvania. Forty on-campus residents from the l975-76 freshman class were matched with forty off-campus students with regard to age, sex, intelligence, and marital status.…

This study examined the benefits of early involvement in co-curricular activities and first-year seminars among first-year college students with respect to alcohol and other drug use, self-worth perceptions, attitudes toward social justice, engagement in the academic process, and community service involvement approximately 6 weeks into the fall…

The responses of freshman samples from 1973 (N=2407) and 1974 (N=1492) to the University of Maryland Census are described and compared. Results indicated: (1) A greater percentage of freshmen in the 1974 sample was found to be living on campus in a resident hall or Greek house. Of the entering students who commuted to school, a greater percentage…

Tested hypothesis that living on campus fostered cognitive growth by estimating relative first-year gains in reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking of resident (n=40) and commuter (n=170) first-year college students. Controlling for precollege cognitive level, academic motivation, age, work responsibility, and extent…

The first phase of a study to predict retention and withdrawal among disadvantaged students at an urban commuter institution is described. Variable selection for the study was guided by Tinto's (1975) and Bean's (1982) models. Pilot testing was undertaken to estimate some psychometric characteristics of Pascarella and Terenzini's institutional…

The extent to which informal contact socializes students by influencing their educational aspiration level in a commuter setting was investigated using a longitudinal data collection with the student as unit of analysis. Significant interactions between informal faculty-student contact and race were found. (Author/MLW)

Examined relationship of first-year intervention to institutional integration, academic success, and persistence of resident and commuter first-year students (n=629) at predominantly nonresidential university. Found group differences on social integration and gender differences on academic success. Higher percentage of intervention participants…

The relation between residence arrrangement and college attendance patterns was studied. The degree to which the nature of the group with whom a freshman college student lives may influence that student's decision to continue enrollment into the sophomore year was assessed. (MLW)

A representative sample of 37 incoming Asian-American freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), reported their attitudes and perceptions on a number of personal and social issues. Forty-one percent attended UMCP because of its geographic location, and more than half came to learn skills directly applicable to a career.…

Characteristics of students entering the University of New South Wales (Australia) in 1985 were surveyed. Responses by 1,908 students provided information on ethnicity, socio-economic status, sources of financial support, employment, and travel to the university. Findings were similar to those of a 1976 survey and confirmed that students from…

This study examined the effects of living on- or off-campus on the grades of first-year students at York University (Ontario). A total of 1,848 first-year students were uurveyed by mail in February-March 1995, with a response nate of 65 percent. Data were also obtained from administrative records. The survey found that 74 percent of respondents…

The data suggest that the family's socioeconomic status is significantly related to the decision to be a resident student or a commuting student. Also, the two groups do seem to have different manifest personality needs, especially when socioeconomic factors are taken into consideration. (Author)