The University of Arizona's Precollege Program for academically talented secondary school students, which enrolls qualified students in selected university summer courses, is described. The majority of the students are between their junior and senior year in high school and have a grade point average of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. In addition to…

For the past four years, Indiana University-Bloomington has used an ecosystems approach to environmental assessment to evaluate the programs, services, and personnel of its residence halls. In October 1981, undergraduates (N=710) living in residence halls completed a questionnaire about the residence hall environment. The questionnaire included an…

A study of University of Alberta freshmen's attitudes about their university experiences and their transition from high school focused on influences in their attendance, personal goals, self-perceived preparation for college, curriculum difficulty, adjustment needs, and fulfillment of expectations. (MSE)

Analyzes Black student enrollment and earned degree trends in Michigan, 1965-80; examines institutional experiences of Black freshmen at University of Michigan, 1975-83; and assesses correlates of access, adjustment, and achievement of 700 Black college students who attended six predominately White public institutions in 1981. Makes…

Two collaborative learning programs for beginning college students are examined: the University of Washington's Freshman Interest Group and the Coordinated Studies Program at Seattle Central Community College (Washington). The study looks at whether and how such programs are effective. The programs appear effective in promoting commuter student…

A study of counseling interests of 2,575 college freshmen found females more interested in educational/vocational and emotional/social counseling than males and males more interested in improving learning skills and getting counseling for alcohol use. Counselors are advised to examine more than presenting problems in counseling freshmen.…

Key institutional, social, and psychological factors that may be visible or invisible barriers to women and ethnic minorities seeking academic careers are examined, drawing on recent literature. Recommendations for change at the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and graduate levels are offered. (MSE)

Faculty incentives are skewed away from the collegiate ideal, particularly at research universities. It is not inevitable that research-oriented faculty divorce themselves from students and campus life, but active participation requires changes in faculty culture, evaluation/reward structures, and types of conversation in which faculty engage on…

At four colleges, 135 African American women students completed measures of self-concept, gender identity, and ethnic identity, and were interviewed. Results suggest that women's self-concepts of race and gender are experienced differently depending on their school's racial and gender composition. Colleges should reexamine diversity efforts to…

This bulletin describes alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention programs specifically designed or customized for fraternities and sororities (Greeks). Approaches to AOD prevention include: (1) peer education programs to help students help themselves; (2) comprehensive health and psychosocial assistance; (3) retreats, to encourage student…

This study examined the influence of background characteristics, disciplinary differences, institutional context, academic library experiences, and the perceptions of the college environment on the estimated gains of critical thinking skills in undergraduate students (N=9,361). The study used data from a national, cross-sectional survey completed…

The satisfaction of University of Maryland College Park students was assessed as part of the Maryland Longitudinal Study. The College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire was used as a basis for determining satisfaction in the following areas: compensation, social life, working conditions, recognition, and quality of education. The results indicate…

Attitudes and perceptions held by white students enrolled in black colleges were studied to determine their educational and personal experiences at the institutions, their feelings about the impact they had on the institutions, and to provide data that could be helpful to the institutions as they move toward becoming multi-cultural. For purposes…

Alumni attitudes concerning their college experience, present work, and present recreational activities were analyzed in relation to the time in college, using a semantic differential format. Four items were used for each type of rating, one evaluative, another activity-oriented, and two potency oriented. The evaluation dimension concerns the…

It is suggested that the value of education is due to student life more than to college instruction. Samplings of studies of college life are delineated for the validity of student traditions as a field of research, and the aid of sociologists and anthropologists is solicited. (Article originally published in 1935.) (AF)