This study examined how students perceive the impact of a mandatory first-year seminar course on their success and persistence at a 2-year institution. Specifically, the study focused on the influence of the course curriculum and objectives to promote success and perseverance and how the campus community supports student success and persistence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students attending a multi-campus 2-year Southeast institution. Transcripts were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to identify Group Experiential Themes (GETs). Seven major GETs--sensemaking of the purpose of the seminar course, academic self-assessment and skills development, awareness of and access to campus resources, building relationships and campus engagement, campus culture and the sense of belonging, influence on the college experience, and student satisfaction and persistence--resulted in three findings. The findings were reviewed and analyzed within the present literature in conjunction with Kuh's Student Engagement conceptual framework and Engestrom's Activity System Analysis to understand how the first-year seminar course fostered engagement and persistence. These findings suggested that (a) the campus culture and student ownership of the college experience significantly impacted student success and persistence; (b) the first-year seminar course added value to 2-year college students transitioning from high school to college; and (c) the first-year seminar course functioned as a cocurricular activity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]