In this article, the author describes how the orientation staff at the University of Louisville used a unique blend of play and student learning to engage more students more deeply in their orientation experience as they learn the basics for success in college. This approach to orientation is based from Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John…

A project to develop curriculum materials geared to the immediate, specific language needs of limited English speaking foreign students at Douglas College (British Columbia, Canada) is reported. The materials designed were intended for orientation and acculturation, containing cultural content that could be integrated into the college's…

This paper looks at the sources of fear among incoming undergraduate students and discusses possible ways to alleviate such fears. The paper reports that, though many students have difficulty naming their fears, several can easily be identified such as fear of the unknown. This fear can be dealt with or forestalled through tours of the campus.…

The experiences of 397 freshmen at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, were studied, along with the ways in which the university programs and services affect student commitment to the university. Based on a telephone interview, findings include the following: many freshmen had little contact with major university services designed to orient…

Designed for black students attending the Community College of Baltimore (CCB), this booklet provides a guide to services, organizations, and entertainment in the Baltimore area affiliated with blacks or of particular interest to the black community. The first section offers an introduction to CCB, including information on student associations,…

In the summer of 1985, New York City's High School Preparation for Raising Educational Performance (PREP) Program included an English as a second language (ELS) component. The ESL component was designed to help recent immigrant students develop the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English necessary for success in the mainstream…

The goal of Queensborough Community College's College Discovery Pre-Freshman Summer Program (PFSP) is to ease the transition from high school into college for entering College Discovery freshmen, and thereby improve their academic performance and increase their chances for retention at the college. An evaluation of the PFSP was conducted in 1987…

The effectiveness of the Plattsburgh Freshman Seminar program, which was designed to increase student retention, was evaluated. The 45 hour, three credit program was designed to help students clarify educational and personal goals, to increase faculty-student contact, to develop communication skills, and to familiarize the student with the…

Based in part on a study at Towson State University, Maryland, retention was found to be linked to advising. In response to this defined linkage, a freshman advising program was developed which emphasized mandatory participation, increased faculty awareness of the complexities of advising, self-assessment, the merger of Academic Affairs with…

The effect of a 6-week summer prematriculation program on the cognitive performance of educationally disadvantaged minority students in their first year of medical school was studied. A second objective was to determine if participation in the program strengthened the sources of social support available to minority students within the medical…

This paper describes a preadmission orientation program for older nontraditional students at Murray State University, Kentucky. Included is a description of the university, a description of the orientation for traditional-age freshmen and an explanation of why this program was not appropriate for adult freshmen. A step-by-step description of the…

The distance teaching counseling program for mature students at Deakin University, Australia, is discussed, along with the extent to which adequate counseling is provided for the distance student in Australia and other countries. Completion of admission and enrollment procedures for new off-campus students between June and December in the year…

Directed to the Multnomah County (Oregon) sixth grade students participating in the Outdoor School program, the handbook serves as an introduction to the week-long, resident outdoor education experience which focuses on four natural resources: soil, water, plants, and animal life. Information is provided on the Outdoor School site and staff;…

Designed as a guide for effective student service programs, this publication attempts to provide information on policy decisions, underscore the importance of and need for a comprehensive student services program, and serve as a philosophical and administrative model for professional educators in community colleges in Maryland. Introductory…

The effect of college orientation experiences on student grade point average (GPA) and persistence toward the degree was studied at Montana State University. Two groups of students were compared: 131 students who attended a 3-day orientation during the summer before their freshman year, and 97 freshmen who attended large group sessions just before…