University life is widely publicized as an adventure--a chance to engage with new ideas, people, and opportunities. While these vibrant interactions can be part of the college experience, participation in a competitive, high-stakes academic environment like University of Michigan (U-M) can pose very real challenges. Students must learn to navigate…

Based on Boyer's (1990) principles of community, the purpose of this study was to examine how students' perceived sense of campus community contributed to explaining their satisfaction with school life. Participants were randomly selected from a student email address list obtained by the Office of Assessment at a mid-size university in the Midwest…

The purpose of this study was to explore features of university environments that support well-being as perceived by undergraduate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) music and art students. Data were drawn from the 2013-2015 administrations of the College Student Report (CSR) by the National Survey of Student Engagement. Responses of…

The rising price of a year in college looms large on the American political landscape. Calls to make college free, or at least debt free, will figure prominently in policy and political debates going forward. To make sense of this debate, an understanding of the forces that have been driving the price of a year in postsecondary education upward…

This article explores the experiences of Black women students attending an Hispanic serving institution (HSI) in a large urban area with a disproportionately low number of Black students. A narrative inquiry approach was used to engage six students in reflection and discussion addressing the following research question: How does race impact the…

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the experiences of foreign-born students (FBSs) studying at a Turkish public university. The study attempted to provide useful findings for student services, faculty, policy makers, and other stakeholders to effectively address the needs, interests, and aspirations of FBSs, thereby…

The purpose of this study is to examine what the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation means to Hispanic college students at a Research One four-year university. This qualitative case study used one-on-one interviews with Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students to explore their experiences and perceptions of what it means to be an…

Although the concept of allyship has been used in relation to multiple marginalized groups within higher education, it is rarely applied to social class. In this study, I used narrative inquiry to understand how working-class students define and perceive social class allyship. Findings revealed that working-class students identified social class…

In consideration of a historic rift between religion and the sciences, particularly at the collegiate level, this study uses the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Study (IDEALS) to examine the role of college experiences in the development of a self-authored spiritual worldview as first-year STEM students transition to…

Although never a monolithic community, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (or queer) (LGBTQ) students enter the college exploration process with a far more diverse range of experiences than past generations. A growing portion of today's LGBTQ youth came out in high school or even middle school--and were embraced by family and…

The reasons a student may choose a particular institution when seeking a postsecondary education are many. So, too, are the reasons students may opt to persist at their chosen institutions. However, a sense of belonging and a strong emotional connection often supply students all the incentive they need. College campus environments play a pivotal…

Over one million international students attended United States HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) in 2016 (IIE, 2016). While a plentitude of quantitative and qualitative studies has examined Chinese and East Indian students' experiences in the U.S., limited research has been conducted with the third largest group of international students, Saudi…

Research on sexual minorities' religious experiences largely focuses on faith-based challenges/supports, family dynamics, and identity conflicts -- yet, there is limited research studying how these systems intersect with religious college campus and counseling experiences. This paper explores how 13 gay students at Christian and Jewish colleges…

This research uses photo elicitation to examine the lived experience of the contemporary college student. Twenty-one participants took photographs of their college experience for a week, selected the five pictures that best represented their college experience, and then participated in a semi-structured interview to discuss the pictures.…

The purpose of this research is to explore the experiences of Multiracial women college students in a manner that frustrates the privileged location of whiteness and its intersecting systems of domination in higher education. To work toward this purpose, whiteness as property and intersectionality are used as conceptual frameworks to explore how…