This digest discusses the ways in which counselors in middle schools can help youngsters face the challenges of early adolescence and prepare them for life in high school. It focuses on: (1) understanding one's self; (2) family relationships; (3) peer pressure and drug abuse; (4) stressful lives; (5) sexual maturation; (6) academics; and (7)…

The Student Support Services Program, in the student affairs division, has been a counseling and tutorial program at Chicago State University since 1978. The program's goal is to increase the retention and graduation rates of the university's students. The program's focus is to monitor extensively each participant's first year at the university…

Ways that U.S. programs for the study of higher education monitor and evaluate the progress of their doctoral students through the dissertation stage were studied in 1986. Fifty-seven program directors responded to a questionnaire, and 50 responded to a followup questionnaire that solicited information about the social context for the doctoral…

A formative evaluation was undertaken at an urban community college to determine how an open-admission general studies program should be restructured to better meet student goals and the college's educational objectives. The evaluation process included: interviewing key college representatives to generate hypotheses, and review of the hypotheses…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted by the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of community college assessment programs throughout the state. Each community college in the state randomly selected 100 students whose basic skills had been assessed and who had enrolled in…

A study was conducted by the Learning Assessment Retention Consortium of the California Community Colleges to determine the extent to which the state's community colleges had implemented matriculation practices which were recommended by the Board of Governors in 1984, but which had not received state funding. The study investigated college…

An overview is provided of the development of the statewide computer-assisted Student On-Line Advisement and Articulation (SOLAR) system in Florida. After providing background information on the history and current status of articulation and transfer in Florida and on a 1986-87 pilot study of the feasibility of implementing the SOLAR system, the…

Studies conducted by the University of California and California State University, concerning the time students take to complete the baccalaureate degree, are synopsized and reported. The methodology, findings, and conclusions of each report are provided separately, and the reports themselves are appended, along with the survey instruments. A…

A survey of colleges was conducted to identify those colleges that offer programs for the learning disabled, and the survey results are compiled in this directory of 83 programs. Each program description includes the college's name, address, and telephone number; program title; fees charged to the student for special services; name, title, and…

A handbook for improving the skills of academic advisors, and specifically advisors at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM), is presented. Attention is directed to four main topics: philosophies, goals, policies and procedures of the university; job-specific knowledge of the school/division; ethical concerns; and advising skills and…

In 1988, a study was conducted to examine the perspectives of community college students, faculty, and administrators concerning faculty behaviors that enhance students' ability to persist in college and transfer to a four-year institution. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 faculty members and 16 administrators to elicit…

Retention and attrition after the freshman year among disadvantaged students at a senior college of the City University of New York were studied. A conceptual model of Tinto (1975) was applied to a group of students participating in the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program, which provided remedial and/or developmental…

This document addresses the difficulty some students face in selecting a college major that matches their career pursuits. It includes a set of seven steps which can help high school, college, and adult students in selecting a college major. The steps presented deal with: (1) decision making skills; (2) self-assessments to identify priorities; (3)…

In 1982, a study was conducted by the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges to determine the policies and practices that guide the state's community colleges in identifying and assisting potential transfer students. A questionnaire was distributed to all 106 community colleges, seeking information on social programs/activities…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year, federally supported project at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) to improve the retention of African-American students in undergraduate premedical programs by developing an improved personal and social support system for black students interested in the health…