The accountability of institutions of higher education to ensure high-quality student learning which is requisite for success in the twenty-first century economy is increasingly remiss (Kuh & Ikenberry, 2015). Institutional researchers have reported limited academic gains among college graduates, a result of students' disengagement in academically purposeful activities (Roksa & Arum, 2011). Models of student engagement using non-cognitive variables provide a foundation of research that has examined the impact of non-cognitive variables on student engagement in learning. These models are precursors to the introduction of curiosity, the non-cognitive variable that is the focus of this study. The "Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II" was administered to 530 entering students during the first week of their First-Year Experience class (required for all incoming students), a second time to the same students during the final week of that semester-long course, and a third time at the end of the second semester of their first year. The 15 students whose responses reflected the greatest increase in curiosity during the first year of college were interviewed to understand the contributors to such dramatic growth. The participants reported four unique responses to common first-year conditions experienced by most college students. The students who increased curiosity responded to common conditions with pursuit of exploration, desire for challenge, viewing difficulty as opportunity to learn, and questing beliefs and assumptions. In addition, the conditions the participants experienced, and more importantly the participants' responses to these conditions, were both interrelated to their curiosity-driven absorption in learning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]