WHEN CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION REQUIRED JUNIOR COLLEGES TO PROVIDE "SPECIAL COUNSELING" TO ENTERING FRESHMEN WITH HIGH SCHOOL GRADE AVERAGES OF LESS THAN 2.0, AN EXPERIMENT IN THE FALL OF 1967 AT REEDLEY COLLEGE, CALIFORNIA, WAS DESIGNED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING AND SPECIAL COUNSELING ON A GROUP BASIS. RANDOMLY SELECTED ENTERING FRESHMEN SUBJECT TO THE "SPECIAL COUNSELING" RULE PARTICIPATED IN A 50-MINUTE GROUP MEETING WITH A COUNSELOR AND FROM 7 TO 11 OTHER STUDENTS. CONTROL GROUP STUDENTS HAD ONE 15-MINUTE INTERVIEW. COMPARISONS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FAVORING THE CONTROL GROUP IN (1) GRADE AVERAGES, (2) THE NUMBER WHO BECAME SUBJECT TO DISQUALIFICATION, (3) THE NUMBER OF WITHDRAWALS WITH CLEAR STATUS, (4) THE NUMBER RETURNING FOR A SECOND SEMESTER, AND (5) SUBSEQUENT UTILIZATION OF COUNSELING SERVICES. THE INVESTIGATOR RECOMMENDED THAT THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSELING BE MET BY PROVISION OF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING SERVICES. (HH)