Describes a unique one-semester, one-credit course which provides orientation to the University community, academic advising, values clarification and vocational planning, skill renewal exercises, and personal counseling to re-entry students. Continuing feedback underscores the relevance of such a holistic approach to student needs. (Author/JAC)

Describes a program for more effective academic advising called "Freshman Dialogue" where small groups of freshmen meet weekly with a trained faculty advisor for an intensive orientation to the university. Provides various rewards for both students and faculty. Results indicate the program was enthusiastically received and retention improved.…

Describes a program called Athletes for a Better Education (AFBE) which is a year-round academic-athletic-counseling program for outstanding high school athletes. It consists of three phases: a summer residential camp; follow-up programs; college placement and culminating activities. Discusses the current collegiate-athletic scandals. (RC)

Proposes human potential seminars on topics such as "study skills" or "library use" as alternatives to traditional freshman orientation courses. Examines the implementation of the seminars at Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College and discusses their effectiveness in improving the self-concept and retention of high-risk students.…

Describes a six-week residential orientation and study skills program for educationally disadvantaged students at Livingston College, New Jersey, which includes mock registration, developmental workshops, content study skills courses, purposeful nonacademic activities, and group counseling, and which is adapted to the needs of a multiethnic,…

In analyzing the impact of a freshman orientation course, it was found that the greatest impact was in the area of student activities. Students had a high degree of participation in college activities and reported positive attitudes toward the teaching and counseling faculty, other students, and required courses. (Author/HLM)

Data collected during new-student orientation on nontraditional-age and traditional-age first-time students indicated more psychosocial similarities than differences between them. Results suggest that first-entry nontraditional students experience some of the same needs and concerns in higher education as do their younger peers. Referrals to…

For the past 5 years, a large high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has attempted to provide an advising program for students based on the premise that constructive student/adult relationships can enhance learning. Students learn to challenge themselves academically and explore healthy alternatives when facing adversity. (MLH)

Describes a journal-based orientation course at a small, public two-year technical college. Reports on a study of 160 students which found that the orientation-course grade was a better predictor of student success (as measured by timely graduation and grade point average) than high school rank and far superior to the American College Testing…

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…