Student attrition was studied in relation to the quality of the interaction between the student and the college environment, using a modified version of the Total Adjustment Scale, a self-report rating scale. Academic functioning, social functioning, and bonding to the college setting were assessed for 459 college freshmen at the University of Iowa during the eleventh week of the second academic semester. Statistical analysis of the 40-item adjustment instrument indicates a high degree of reliability for the scale, and these findings closely approximate those obtained during the earlier development of the instrument at Clark University. Those students expressing substantial expectations of not continuing at the University of Iowa through graduation were characterized as being less socially and/or academically adjusted than students indicating expectations of persistence through graduation. These results parallel those at Clark University. Factor analysis of the instrument yielded further confirmatory evidence for the presence of three factors: social integration, academic adjustment, and plans to persist at the university. It appears that the third factor corresponding to the previously labelled general bonding subscale is primarily concerned with a student's ability or inability to form a strong bond to the college or university. Additional analysis suggests that one's ability to effectively form social ties in a college environment may, generally speaking, be more crucial in relation to attrition than academic adjustment. However, this relationship may be reversed for individuals who do not need an extensive social life. A bibliography is appended. (SW)