"It's a Whole New World": A Qualitative Exploration of College Students' Definitions of and Strategies for College Success

Journal of College Student Development, Mar/Apr 2008 by Yazedjian, Ani, Toews, Michelle L, Sevin, Tessara, Purswell, Katherine E

This study used focus group interviews to explore 22 students' definitions of and strategies for college success. Students' narratives revealed their definitions of success were multifaceted and encompassed how they were doing academically, their degree of social integration, and their perceived ability to navigate the college environment. In addition, although students described a range of strategies that contributed to their academic success, their reports revealed they did not always employ those strategies. These findings affirm that institutions should continue providing services that support students' academic success, while also promoting their personal development and social integration.

The transition to college occurs at a time when young adults are continuing their search for autonomy and independence (Zarrett & Eccles, 2006). At the same time first-year students strive to develop and reconfigure their relationships in ways that support their increasing need for autonomy, they also maintain the need for support and connection (Gottlieb, Still, & Newby-Clark, 2007). Successfully meeting these needs might be as important to students' college experiences as meeting the increased academic demands of the college environment.

In support of this assumption, Kuo, Hagie, and Miller (2004) have found that college students today focus on success in arenas beyond academics. Similarly, one of the students in Harper's (2005) study stated: "I believe that college is about more than grades" (p. 12). Yet, many studies continue to conceptualize success in college purely in terms of grades and graduation rates. This conceptualization is limited because students might view becoming independent and developing social relationships as additional examples of being successful in college. Therefore, an important first step in studying this topic is to examine whether students view success as a multifaceted concept.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Although success has often been narrowly defined, Tinto (1975) argued that persistence to graduation is predicted by students' academic and social integration into the institution. Thus, the first year is critical because it is during this time that students are initially facing the challenges of how to integrate into the college environment. Furthermore, Tinto suggested that persistence in college is related not only to students' initial integration, but also to their ongoing academic and social integration. Therefore, it is important to consider not only academic integration, but also social integration, as equally important parts of the college experience.

Supporting Tintos (1975) theory, more recent researchers have begun to discuss the transition to college as a complex process that includes both academic and social integration (Kuo et al., 2004; Roe Clark, 2005; Swail, 2003). For example, research with high school seniors has found that although they were concerned with academic issues, "social transitioning issues were also of importance to the students" (Alexson & Kemnitz, 2004, p. 24). In fact, in her study of the challenges college freshmen faced and how they adapted to those challenges, Roe Clark found that students adapted their strategies in response to both the academic and social demands of college.

Previous research has also highlighted the importance of student engagement (Kuh, 1995; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt, 2005). Specifically, Kuh found that student engagement in meaningful activities outside of the classroom was as important to personal development and academic persistence as activities that occurred within the classroom. To illustrate, he noted that participating in extracurricular activities and interacting with faculty and peers were related to success (Kuh; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt). Similarly, when examining academically successful African American males, Harper (2005, 2006) found that out-of-class engagement facilitated their academic success and contributed to their personal development. Although some would believe that time spent on activities outside of the classroom might distract students from engaging in academically purposeful activities, previous researchers have found that out-ofclass activities actually promoted the development of academic skills and knowledge (Harper, 2005; Kuh). In addition, these activities provided opportunities for students to develop connections with peers and enhanced their sense of social integration (Fries-Britt & Turner, 2002; Harper, 2006; Yazedjian, Purswell, Sevin, & Toews, 2007).

Yet, even students who establish social connections experience difficulties transitioning from high school to college because they are unaware of what is expected of them once they enter the college environment and therefore do not adapt their strategies to meet these new demands (Alexson & Kemnitz, 2004; Roe Clark, 2005; Venezia, Kirst, & Antonio, 2003). In fact, students often mistakenly believe that being accepted into college is the biggest challenge (Venezia et al.). They soon realize that they must adjust to increased expectations from faculty, develop strategies to meet greater academic demands, and learn how to manage the newfound freedoms of college (Kirst, 2004; Roe Clark; Smith & Wertlieb, 2005; Venezia et al.). For example, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement ([NSSE], 2006), 91% of college freshmen reported they had to work harder than they expected in order to meet their professors' expectations.