The experiences students have as they pursue graduate degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are governed by numerous dynamics that are at play outside the context of any classroom. The relationships students share with their peers, advisors, administration, and university significantly impacts their trajectory as…

This paper reflects on the recounts of a group of 'old boys' about their transition from elite schools to university. Analysis of semi-structured interview data reveals that this transition was not always straightforward. Although educational background has traditionally determined access to, and progress through, university, this paper details…

The purpose of this dissertation in practice is to determine how the University of Louisville's College of Business can better support transfer students as they enter the college. Current practices do not best support this transition phase for students which can lead to academic struggles. Considering the Fall 2020 population consisted of 416…

U.S. Census Bureau Report (2020c) showed Hispanic students constituted 18.5% of the U.S. population, 36% attended higher education and only 14% completed postsecondary education. Research has shown Hispanic, specifically Latinx, students faced barriers in accessing higher education's hidden curriculum, compounded by deficit beliefs about their…

The authors argue that successful "transitions" are inseparable from both "learning" and "becoming." Furthermore, for students to experience successful transitions (and the learning inherent in navigating those transitions) individual educators and institutions more generally need to attend to the issues of…

A persistent challenge for Australian higher education policymakers and researchers has been to understand why policies and practices have met with limited success in widening the participation and attainment of non-traditional students. This paper explores theorising Narrative Identity as a constructive methodological framework for understanding…

This dissertation study uses Schlossberg's Transition Theory to understand the experiences of student veterans enrolled at a Louisiana higher education institution. By recognizing the distinct needs of student veterans and the services offered, higher education administrators can play a pivotal role in informing them of their needs and creating a…

The current study is among undergraduate students at a mid-sized regional doctoral-granting four-year public university in the Southwestern United States. The purpose of the study was to compare the self-efficacy and sense of belonging of students who experienced a transition program before beginning their college careers to those who did not.…

With the high enrollment number of Chinese international students in U.S. universities, there has been an increase in the amount of research on the difficulties and challenges these students face in their American-university life. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the key processes and procedures of the pathway program from…

This paper's purpose is to review theoretical explanations of college transitions, offer a critique of their utility, and make an explicit argument that the field of higher education would benefit from a shift from a view of transition as induction or development to transition as becoming. Moreover, we propose that the use of legitimate peripheral…

This Education Leadership Portfolio (ELP) documents my efforts to enhance the transition experiences of international students at the University of Delaware by optimizing orientation programming. Orientation programming for international students consists of pre-arrival orientation, upon-arrival orientation, and extended orientation, which are…

This qualitative phenomenological study investigates the transition to college experience for students with learning disabilities who participated in a high school transition-to-college curriculum. Utilizing individual, semi-structured interviews with seven graduates from an independent school for students with learning disabilities currently…

As student veterans enter higher education after service, there is a need for more knowledge about their transitional experiences. The issues facing this group of students have an impact, not only on the student, but also faculty, administrators, and student peers. This study focused on articulating these transition experiences utilizing…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2020), the national percentage of first-time, full-time college students who returned to the same campus the following year was 81%. For students with disabilities, retention and graduation statistics were disproportionate to their non-disabled peers. Students with disabilities graduated…

Dual enrollment has continued to increase in popularity as an effective means of introducing students to college and encouraging postsecondary enrollment. Students are introduced to the academic rigors and expectations of a college environment, while developing college readiness to transition to postsecondary institutions beyond high school…