Community-college students, like students anywhere, begin to form their impressions of an institution the instant they set foot on its campus. And often what they find during those first few weeks can determine whether they come back for more, or turn heel and leave. Findings from a new study may offer some clues as to why those who leave do so, and what officials can do to make them stay. Survey results, which were released this week, show that a large number of students are unaware of their college's core services in the opening weeks of their first semester. And only one in five said they felt welcome at their institutions the first time they came to campus. Community colleges, the survey concludes, would be wise to reach out to their new students earlier and more aggressively in such areas as orientation, academic advising, and financial aid. Such outreach will hopefully yield benefits of happier and more productive students and higher retention rates. The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (Sense) included 22 institutions and yielded more than 13,200 responses. It was administered during the fourth and fifth weeks of the fall academic term in courses that were most likely to include entering students. (The survey was in the pilot phase this year, and a greater number of institutions will participate in the second Sense survey this fall.)