A study examined the impact of prejudice and discrimination at 18 institutions on the adjustment of 1,454 students to college. Results indicate perceived discriminatory behavior negatively affected minority-student academic/intellectual development, social experiences, and institutional commitment. Although differential effects were noted for…

Assessed a random sample of 102 female students from a small private college concerning levels of individuation, intimacy, intimidation, parental triangulation, and personal authority. These concepts formed the construct of Personal Authority and were tested regarding their relationship to self-esteem, physical health, and college adjustment.…

This article discusses recent programs and procedures based at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, designed to help students' transition from high school to university. Students are poorly prepared for university, and the meagre assistance they get from pre-university orientations, or even from longer-term programs such as University…

A study was done at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) examining the experiences, concerns and interests of college freshmen. Of 65 entering students who agreed to participate, 37 signed up for the study in September, 1988, with 24 women and 4 men completing all study requirements: completion of a daily diary; bimonthly unstructured…

This booklet provides advice, collected from the experiences of students who have completed their freshman year, on how to prepare for and complete the first year of college. The booklet begins with suggestions on the types of things that the new student should consider packing, such as items for the dorm room, various school supplies,…

This workbook is designed to provide helpful tips and useful information for anyone interested in a technical career. Through the ten chapters presented, information is provided to help the user select a career field of study, design a program of courses, verify that the program is correct, investigate possible schools, get through course work,…

It is assumed that a greater understanding of the complex interrelationship between the individual student and his environment will result in more intelligent and effective use of institutional resources in total educational programing. The first of four articles calls for increased research on students because it is felt that the adequacy of…

A study of the adjustment of third-, fourth-, and sixth-year university students in the humanities, sciences, and medicine in a Dutch university is reported. The study examined mental health variables, satisfaction, interpersonal orientations, and assessments of the learning environment across sexes, majors, and cohorts. (MSE)

The Bronx Community College's Department of Student Development has provided an array of developmental minicourses to help incoming freshmen acquire coping skills and a new social support system. These courses foster cognitive, affective, and interpersonal development. (TE)

This study investigated the usefulness of three dormitory lifestyle assignments (male-only, female-only, co-ed) in promoting student participation in residence hall activities at James Madison University (Virginia). Results showed assignment to coeducational dormitories fostered more and varied student involvement than did male-only or female-only…

Builds on the assumption that colleges and universities are organizations and subsequently that the organizational perspective provides important insights for improving retention on campuses. A review of existing organizational studies of undergraduate persistence serves as the basis for ten empirically-based recommendations for practice that are…

Examines five shibboleths (common ideas) about the relationship between campus culture and student persistence. Describes a six-step approach for using the peer group and classroom as key elements in cultivating a success-oriented institutional culture. (Author/EV)

Five hundred incoming students attending Mount Saint Vincent University (Nova Scotia) were selected to participate in a study designed to compare the expectations and experiences of traditional students (who entered immediately after high school or transferred from another university or college) and nontraditional students (who entered part-time…

Stresses experienced by college students at different educational levels are considered, along with ways that colleges can help reduce destructive forms of stress. After discussing how stress and coping are related, problems in defining stress and coping are considered, and models are proposed for understanding stress. Following an overview on the…

A conceptual model of undergraduate socialization is presented. The framework incorporates several elements of the models developed by Feldman (1972) and Hochbaum (1968), but combines these models in a different way and incorporates the more recent work of Astin (1978). Of particular concern is an examination of the complex covariation among (1)…