This research study examined the developmental and prescriptive academic advising preferences of two Texas community first-time-in-college (FTIC) students. For more than 100 years, higher education institutions have employed academic advisors to undertake meaningful interactions with students to assist with their academic progress. Their intentional conversations may translate into setting academic professional and/or personal goals involving traditional and non-traditional prepared, underprepared, and underserved students. The literature review regarding this topic indicated that when students receive more than academic guidance from academic advisors, there are significant positive impacts to subsequent student success, retention, and degree completion. For this reason, academic advising is an identified, continuing area of focus and improvement in American higher education. When serving diverse populations, academic advising is not a one-size-fits-all experience; rather, successes may stem from matching the appropriate advising approach with students' educational and personal needs. Instead of viewing college as a spectator sport, students must actively participate in their postsecondary education journeys, taking responsibility for their academic success from entry to completion. This predominately qualitative survey research study involved an examination of students preferred advising approaches at two Texas community colleges related in-part to the eight student sub-characteristics including age, gender, ethnicity, program of study, socioeconomic status, first-time-in-college status, campus location, and degree- or certificate-seeking status. The study focused on two postsecondary academic advising models: developmental advising and prescriptive advising. Given the responses to the NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) Academic Advising Inventory (AAI) survey, a majority of surveyed community college students preferred the developmental advising approach, featuring two-way communication allowing exploration of academic majors or career pathways. In contrast, one-way prescriptive advising is an approach that outlines exact student academic activities that are then closely monitored by a professional advisor. The AAI survey was the instrument utilized to collect survey responses involving 98 participating first-time-in-college (FTIC) Texas community college students enrolled in Institution A and Institution B. A total of 73 survey questions addressed student-related personal advising experiences, level of satisfaction of such, and the student-preferred academic advising services resulting in successful advising sessions. Four research questions guided the focus of this research study. The first research question identified the most frequent advising activities requested by the surveyed community college students during advising sessions. The second research question examined the overall level of satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) expressed by first time in college (FTIC) students as well as the most or least appreciated advising processes. A third research question reviewed student recommendations for improving students' academic advising experiences at the participating Texas community colleges. A fourth and final research question was specific to the preferred (by students) method of advising designed to best assist students' introduction to postsecondary education and identifying most and least desired advising components. The results of this study should encourage community colleges to review existing academic advising practices, as well as challenge advisors to individualize student services. The primary overall finding of the study indicated that first-time-in-college (FTIC) and first-generation (FG) community college students prefer developmental academic advising, in that this advising model involves the collaborative interaction with and subsequent interpretive academic and work-related guidance from a postsecondary academic advisor. [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.]