Urban community college transfers to a university.

Abstract

This study examines a sample of students who transferred from an urban community college district in Texas to a university. Data were collected using the Laanan-Transfer Students' Questionnaire (L-TSQ) Short Form. The L-TSQ collected quantitative and qualitative data on issues related to students' community college and university experiences. The results suggest that transfer students have specific concerns regarding their transfer process prior to the transition as well as challenges once they arrive. The study concludes with recommendations for students, academic advising, and faculty.

Introduction

The pathway to the baccalaureate for many students begins at a community college (Cohen & Brawer, 2002; Laanan, 2001). Among all undergraduates enrolled in higher education in the U.S. in 1999-2000, 42% were enrolled in public two-year community colleges (Horn, Peter, & Rooney, 2002). For minority students, the community college is the school of choice (Phillippe & Patton, 1999). Individuals of diverse backgrounds and educational experiences have looked to public community colleges as the access point to pursue higher education for many reasons, including location, cost, flexible schedules, and open access (Grubb, 1999; Laanan, 2001). Community colleges are known for its comprehensive mission. The transfer mission, in particular, provides individuals with the first two-years of college prior to transferring to a fouryear college or university. Arguably, transfer and articulation policies play a critical role in the extent to which a student's movement from the two- to the four-year college or university is a smooth one (Ignash & Townsend, 2001).

Upon transferring to a four-year institution, community college students must make various adjustments to the new environment (Eggleston & Laanan; 2001; Laanan, 2001; Zamani, 2001). Transfer students will most likely experience academic difficulty, feel overwhelmed by the new environment, or simply become disillusioned and frustrated. Much of the research about community college transfer students has focused primarily on students' academic performance, baccalaureate attainment, and persistence at the four-year college level. A large portion of this research is devoted to the "transfer shock" phenomenon (Ackermann, 1991; Cejda & Kaylor, 1997; Diaz, 1992; Hills, 1965). These studies indicate that transfer students, in comparison to their community college GPA, experience a "dip" or decline in GPA their first or second semester at the senior level institution. The transfer shock phenomenon has been well documented in the literature; however, an understanding of students' community college and university experiences from a social-psychological perspective remains less chronicled.

Literature Review

In Texas a significant number of students who transfer to four-year institutions begin their educational career at one of over 68 public community colleges. While community colleges take pride in providing access and opportunity to these students, it is important to acknowledge a responsibility for the success of these students upon transitioning to a four-year institution. Currently, Texas community colleges lack visibility into how these students fare once they transfer and lack insight into how community colleges' student services and academic programs could be improved and enhanced to not only increase the number of students who transfer but better prepare them once they transfer. As a result, current practices focus almost exclusively on the number of transfer students with little regard for what happens to these students once they enter a four-year institution. This has created a near void in institution-specific research data regarding the quality measures necessary to ensure transfer readiness and student success.

Further, in response to growing accountability mandates, two- and four-year institutions are required to demonstrate successful student outcomes. In Texas most of the growth in public higher education over the past decade has occurred at lower-division, two-year institutions--the sector that includes the state's public community colleges and Texas State Technical College System (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2001). Enrollment at these institutions in fall 2000 totaled 453,103 students. This segment in Texas's higher education plays a critical role in providing access and educational opportunity to a diverse constituency. According to the report titled Closing the Gaps: The Texas Higher Education Plan (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2001), one of the critical issues facing the state of Texas is the growing gap that exists among racial/ethnic groups in both enrollment and graduation from the state's colleges and universities.

The research about student transfer has been a popular inquiry for researchers and scholars. The topics investigated include transfer behavior (McCormick & Carroll, 1997), post-transfer academic performance (Cejda & Kaylor, 1997; Rhine, Milligan, & Nelson, 2000), and transfer adjustment process (Graham & Hughes, 1994; Laanan, 2001). The research about transfer behavior examines the patterns of students attending single or multiple institutions and their progress over time. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (McCormick & Carroll, 1997; Horn, Peter, & Rooney, 2002) have been the primary data source for researchers to longitudinally investigate attendance patterns of students. A common theme in understanding transfer students has been to examine their academic performance at the senior institution (Cejda & Kaylor, 1997; Cejda, Kaylor, & Rewey, 1998; Glass & Harrington, 2002; Peterman, 2002). The transfer shock concept has been used to describe the experiences of transfer students at public and private four-year institutions. A limitation of these studies is the lack of understanding transfer students' adjustment process beyond their academic performance as measured by GPA. Further, these students do not tease out transfer students' psychosocial experiences from a holistic perspective. In the last decade, researchers and scholars have conducted quantitative and qualitative studies to better understand community college students who transfer to four-year colleges and universities (Laanan, 1996; Rendon & Valadez, 1993; Townsend, 1995). Specifically, these studies examine the social and psychological adjustment process of their collegiate experiences.

The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions, attitudes, and college experiences of former community college students who transferred from a multi-campus urban community college district in Texas to an in-state public research university (referred to as Texas University [TU]). Four research questions guided this study: (1) what are the background characteristics of urban transfer students at TU?; (2) what are the community college and university experiences of urban transfer students at TU?; (3) how do urban transfer students describe the factors that facilitated their adjustment or transition?; and (4) what lessons and advice do urban transfer students give prospective transfers to TU?

Data Sources and Methods

The target population for this cross-sectional study included students who transferred from one of the seven Dallas County Community College District colleges (DCCCD) to an in-state public research university in Texas. Students who were identified as "new undergraduate transfers" from Texas public community colleges in fall 2001 comprised the target population. The population was identified from reports generated by the institutional research and planning office at the university. For this study, the sample was delimited to include former community college students who transferred from one of the urban campuses of DCCCD to TU in fall 2002.

Data were collected using the Laanan-Transfer Students' Questionnaire (L-TSQ) Short Form. The 103-item L-TSQ Short Form was formulated as a result of extensive review of past survey instruments and previous studies in this area (Astin, 1993; Baker & Siryk, 1984, 1986; Laanan, 1996, 1998; Pace, 1990, 1992). Developed by Laanan (1998, 2004) and modified for this study, the L-TSQ Short Form is a comprehensive instrument, which measures transfer students' experiences (e.g., academic and social, cognitive and affective outcomes) at the two-and four-year environments. The types of inventories used to measure the items on the survey instrument include rating scales and categorical scales. For this study, the Likert-type scale was used to measure levels of agreement with a statement (e.g., 4="agree strongly" to 1="disagree strongly"), and the frequency of involvement in an activity (e.g., 4="very often" to 1="never"). The L-TSQ Short Form included six main sections: 1) Community College Experiences; 2) University Experiences; 3) Community College and University Gains; 4) General information; 5) Demographic Information; and 6) Open-Ended Questions. The survey instruments were mailed to students' home addresses during the month of February 2003. Students were given a deadline of three weeks from receipt to return the survey instrument. The instrument was accompanied by a cover letter encouraging students to participate in the study. Further, to facilitate a high response rate, a complimentary Business Reply Envelope was provided.

The data for this study were analyzed in two phases. The focus of the study was to present both quantitative descriptive data and qualitative narratives from the open-ended questions. The first phase of the analysis entailed analyzing selected items from the L-TSQ Short Form using descriptive statistics (e.g., frequencies, crosstabulations, means, and standard deviations). The second phase analyzed students' responses to the three open-ended questions. The open-ended questions asked students to delineate their experiences pertaining to: 1) factors contributed to their successful (or unsuccessful) transfer; 2) role of community college to enhance their success or transition; and 3) advice to prospective transfers in community colleges. The responses from students were further categorized by common themes that emerged from the data.

Results and Discussion

The sample of DCCCD transfer students to TU in fall 2002 included 66 students. The average age of DCCCD transfers was 25.94 years. Table 1 illustrates the demographic characteristics of students. Almost three-fourths of students in the sample were female (72.7%). For students' racial/ethnic background, half of the sample self-identified as White (non-Hispanic) followed by Hispanic/Latino (18.2%), African American/Black (12.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%), and Other (6.1%). On the L-TSQ Short Form, students were asked to indicate their highest academic degree planned to complete. Slightly less than half (47%) indicated the bachelor's, followed by the master's (39.4%), doctorate (12.1%), and law (1.5%). About two-thirds of DCCCD transfer students were currently being supported by their parents (dependent status). Prior to transferring to TU, slightly more than one-fourth (27.3%) completed their associate's degree at the community college. The parental educational background revealed interesting results. Overall, about one-third of students' parents had completed a bachelor's degree or higher. However, 27.3% of students' mothers completed high school or less, compared with 31.9% of fathers. Slightly more than half of urban transfers were commuter students. Only 19% indicated that they lived in a residence hall or private apartment within walking distance to campus. See issue website http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/sum2004.htm

Community College Experiences

The self-reported average GPA among urban transfer students was 3.34. Table 2 reports descriptive information from the L-TSQ Short Form regarding students' prior academic experiences at the community college. Both the mean scores and standard deviations are provided. Four constructs are presented and measure the following: general courses, academic counseling, transfer process, and experience with faculty. For the first three constructs, students were asked to respond to statements on a four-point likert scale from 1=disagree strongly to 4=agree somewhat. Overall, urban transfer students agreed somewhat that the courses taken at the community college developed their critical and analytical thinking, were intellectually challenging, and prepared them for the academic standards at the four-year university. Conversely, transfer students were less likely to study in a group setting or seek academic tutoring for classes. See issue website http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/sum2004.htm

Six items included in the L-TSQ Short Form probed transfer students' behavior regarding seeking academic counseling services at the community college. Interestingly, the results showed that students disagree somewhat (2.06) that they met with counselors on a regular basis and found the information to be helpful in the transfer process. Six items probed students' attitudes and behaviors regarding the transfer process. Overall, students agree somewhat (3.03) that they knew what to expect at the four-year university in terms of academics. On the other hand, they disagree somewhat about the following: visited the admissions office at the four-year college (2.82) and spoke to the former community college's transfer office to gain insight about the transfer process (1.89). To gain a better understanding of urban transfer students' level of engagement with faculty, items were included on the L-TSQ Short Form. Students were asked to respond to each of the items on a four-point likert scale from 1=never to 4=very often. Overall, transfer students occasionally visited faculty and sought their advice, made an appointment to meet with faculty during office hours, discussed ideas for a term paper, discussed career plans and ambitions, and asked for comments and criticisms about their work. Conversely, transfer students often felt comfortable approaching faculty outside of class, asked about information related to the course, and talked with a faculty member.

University Experiences

Table 3 reports descriptive data of transfer students' university experiences on a number of dimensions. The L-TSQ Short Form included five sections that collected information regarding urban transfer students' declared major, reasons for choosing TU, reasons for attending TU, and other college activities such as academic, social and overall college experiences at TU. In terms of transfer students' employment, more than one-fourth (28.8%) indicated that they did not have a job, followed by students indicating that they worked 21-30 hours per week (24.2%). About one-fifth indicated that they worked 16-20 hours per week and more than 30 hours per week, respectively. The declared undergraduate majors varied, with slightly less than half indicating social sciences (42.1%), followed by arts (36.8%), humanities (10.5%), computer science (5.3%), and foreign language (5.3%). The self-reported cumulative mean GPA at TU was 3.32, which is slightly lower than their transfer GPA from the community college (3.34). See issue website http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/sum2004.htm Overwhelmingly, urban transfer students indicated that the important reason for attending TU was "to obtain a bachelor's degree" (71.2%), followed by "to gain skills necessary to enter a new job or occupation" (13.6%). Almost all (92.4%) attended a TU-sponsored transfer student orientation. However, over one-third (34.9%) indicated that the orientation was very/somewhat unhelpful. Slightly more than half (57.6%) indicated that the orientation session was somewhat/very helpful.

Students were asked to indicate the reasons influencing their decision to attend TU on a four-point likert scale from 1=not important to 4=very important. The items in which transfer students indicated as important included convenience and location, cost, and low tuition. Items that were somewhat important included: offered financial assistance, ranking in national magazines, and size of the institution. A number of items that probed transfer students' general perceptions of TU and their adjustment process were included on the L-TSQ Short Form. Students were asked to respond to the items on a four-point likert scale from 1=disagree strongly to 4=agree strongly. Overall, the items in which transfer students agreed somewhat include the following: recommend to other transfers to come to TU, attend TU if they had to start over again, perceived faculty to be easy to approach, and felt TU was an intellectually stimulating place to be. Conversely, transfer students disagreed strongly that there is a stigma among students for having started at a community college. Further, transfer students disagreed somewhat that faculty were interested in the academic development of undergraduates and that student services were responsive to student needs.

In terms of transfer students' adjustment process, students agreed somewhat that adjusting to the academic standards has been easy. On the other hand, transfer students disagreed somewhat that they felt alienated at TU upon transferring and experienced a dip in grades during the first or the second semester. Finally, several items in the L-TSQ Short Form probed transfer students' overall level of satisfaction with college life. Students were asked to respond to each item on a four-point liken scale from 1=very dissatisfied to 4=very satisfied. The items in which students were satisfied included their decision to transfer, overall quality of instruction, and overall college experience. The items in which they were dissatisfied included ethnic/racial diversity of faculty, sense of belonging and academic advising. The one item in which transfer students indicated strong dissatisfaction was financial aid services. The themes that emerged from the open-ended questions are discussed in the next section.

Open-Ended Narratives

The second phase of the data analysis involved analyzing the narratives from the three open-ended questions in the L-TSQ Short Form. The open-ended questions provided the opportunity for transfer students to express their personal experiences and opinions. Specifically, transfer students were asked to respond to: 1) what factors helped you adjust to TU and contributed to your successful (or unsuccessful) transfer; 2) what might the community college have done to enhance your suceess or ease the transition to TU; and 3) what advice would you give to community college students who might be transferring to TU?

Determining Factors for Successful Transfers

The themes that emerged from the first open-ended question that identified factors in determining a successful transfer included: transfer orientation; interactions with advisors, friends, and relatives at the four-year institution; campus involvement in activities; and the maturity level of students. One of the factors that contributed to students' successful transfer processes was the positive experience with the Transfer Student Orientation at TU. For many students, it provided an opportunity to get acquainted with a new campus environment and the university personnel. Highlights of students' comments included: The transfer orientation was very helpful. Also, were the advising sessions and friends I met in my classes (Female White 29). The transfer orientation was really helpful. The campus tour conducted by the campus Ambassador also was very helpful (Female African American 28).

Although there were positive comments about the transfer orientation, some students indicated the orientation process was unpleasant and unhelpful. For example, a young white female student indicated, One factor that made my transfer worse was the orientation. It sucked. It was long and unhelpful. My advisor was rude and also unhelpful. Some pertinent information was presented, but most of it was unclear or not applicable to me (Female White 21).

A second white female indicated, I feel the "mandatory" transfer orientation was not time well spent plus charging $40.00 is not worth the price (Female White 24). To a certain degree, meeting the right people and knowing the people at the four-year institution appeared to be a factor for transfer students' success. Some students appreciated the assistance and knowledge provided by their friends from community college, relatives, and others.

   The most important factor that helped me to adjust to TU was having
   a relative that already went there and also took some of the same
   classes as me. It was easy to adjust when there is someone there to
   explain how things work (Female Hispanic 21). Great staff, close
   friends (Male Hispanic 21). Interacting with people that I knew from
   the two-year college at TU (Female Hispanic 22). Friends that
   transferred before me (Male Asian/Pacific Islander 19).

Though many students indicated that the difference in size between their community college and the four-year university was a factor, some found the large campus size as a negative influence on their adjustment process. On the other hand, others found a comfort zone in a new large campus environment by engaging in various campus activities that are available to them.

   The transfer process was pretty easy. Admissions process was simple,
   as well. Classes fill up way too fast, making the experience
   extremely frustrating. It appears as though there are too many
   students and not enough faculty (Female Asian/Pacific Islander 27).
   What helped me adjust was getting involved in school activities,
   going to football games, and being an active student (Female
   Hispanic 22). I joined a sorority in the fall and that has really
   helped me make friends and adjust (Female White 20).

Factors that helped students become adjusted to TU included clear admissions policies and getting involved in activities and strong support groups. Considering the factors that specifically assisted students to adjust to a new campus environment, students' experiences at their community colleges were found to be valuable. Several nontraditional-age students indicated that maturity played a significant role in assisting their adjustment process.

   My transfer was successful to TU because I knew what to expect.
   I feel that community college is a great stepping stone to
   attending a large university. Community college allows you to
   experience college on a smaller scale before entering a large
   university (Female, White 22). Personal motivation, faculty
   friendliness, enjoyment of classes in my major (Female White 49).
   My age. I am a little older than most of the other students
   (Female White 44). By attending a community college, it slowly
   prepared me for the four-year university (Female African American
   36). I have never had problems adjusting to new schools or any new
   surroundings for that matter. But if I ever did feel unsure or
   nervous about new environments.... faculty at [community college]
   have instilled in me an academic self-confidence. I've taken their
   support with me to [the university] where I find the faculty is just
   as helpful and interested in my education (Female Asian/Pacific
   Islander 23).

Also, mature students were more likely to adjust successfully if they knew someone who was willing to provide assistance and support to them. The individuals could be students' relatives, friends from their community colleges, or even friends and advisors whom they met during the Transfer Student Orientation.

Role of Community Colleges for Successful Transfer Process

The four themes that emerged from what the community college could have done to enhance students' success or ease the transition at TU included transfer and articulation, course quality at community college, additional counseling services, and pros and cons of transfer services at community colleges. Each student has a mix of positive and negative experiences during their time at community colleges. However, students tend to focus on matters of academics. Many students expressed the need for community colleges to improve their course transfer articulation to effectively complete the prerequisite classes because this was very important in their success at TU. Students indicted the need for helpful advisors to assist with the transfer process. There should have been more helpful advisors @ -- College on telling me what to take and when to take it (Female African American 21). Some students were stressed out because the courses they took at the community college did not transfer to TU. Some of my journalism classes did not transfer as journalism classes, but as electives. Although I feel like the faculty did an excellent job in teaching me the material, I think the fault lies in the ever-changing requirements of a BA in Broadcast & News, and not in advisors or counselors (Female Asian/Pacific Islander 23). This need was reiterated by another student suggesting that [advisors should] do more to ensure that transfer student are aware of the foreign language requirement at TU. Maybe stress completing foreign language requirements at the community college level (Female African American 28).

Students saw the role of the community college as preparing them adequately in their course selection so that courses are transferable. Regarding the comparison between courses offered at community colleges and the four-year university, students expressed various opinions. Some students found the courses at TU more challenging and overwhelming while others found their academic preparation at community colleges were appropriate. However, classroom size was an issue. "Classroom size is a major difference. Many classes were no bigger than 30 people at CC" (Female White 21). Responses were mixed, as some students felt prepared to succeed in the classes at TU whereas others found classes more demanding.

   Community college has done a perfect job. They do not need to do
   anything. I always made very good grades at [the] community college.
   The teachers are very concern[ed] about the students. They allow
   students do some extra credit work to improve their grades. We can
   learn and gain knowledge through these extra work. On the other
   hand, no matter how hard I tried my grades just do not improve the
   way I want at TU. The student's grade only depends on the tests. If
   I did not do well in the final, my course grades will be one letter
   lower than the average grade I made throughout the whole semester.
   How could you let one test affect you whole semester? I really do not
   like this (Female Asian/Pacific Islander 32).

In responding to the open-ended question related to the role of community colleges in facilitating students' transition to a four-year university, many students provided recommendations to the community colleges. Specifically, the recommendations provided focus on how community colleges can provide additional information pertaining to facilitating students' success in the transfer processes. Examples of the recommendations include:

1. Have counselors who care and can inform you about four-year institutions. Require students to see counselors.

2. Provide more support for the transition process.

3. Explain the transfer process, such as how to be admitted into school programs and the process it involves.

4. Invite representatives from a four-year institution to their community colleges and organizing information sessions/workshops directly related to transfer process to a particular four-year institution.

5. Have more interactive transfer workshops to help get students on the right track and get them in touch with who they need to meet at TU.

6. Supply more information about TU, such as brochures or phone numbers.

7. Encourage potential transfer students to talk to academic advisors at TU.

From the narratives provided by transfer students in the sample, the issue of transfer to a four-year university appeared to be a complex subject. Students' awareness of the transfer course articulation and other aspects of the transfer processes can be improved by having community college play an active role in informing their student support services about the policies and process, and following the recommendations presented. The final theme will address advice from prospective transfer students.

Advice for Prospective Transfer Students at Community Colleges

The third open-ended question asked students to provide advice to community college student who might be transferring to TU. The narratives reflected information that address the following themes: positive remarks on transfer experience, challenges that transfer students facing, transfer courses articulation and degree planning, challenges of course requirements at a 4-year institution, value of campus involvement, and importance of preparation and campus visit prior to transfer. When students were asked to provide advice for prospective transfer students at community colleges, they were willing to share their experiences. Only a few students expressed that the transfer process was not as difficult as it seemed, while others found it difficult to deal with the challenges. According to one Hispanic female, "It's not as hard as they make it seem. JC's make 4-year universities seem more intimidating than they really are" (Female Hispanic 22).

Many students shared their difficult experiences during their transfer processes and campus life. In keeping with the recommendations to the community college, students have a role to play. Therefore, based on the advice from the respondents, the following recommendations can be useful to students:

* Try to figure out some things before transferring. For example, the requirement for scholarships, and the requirements. Be sure to read the fine print.

* Don't expect the new college to be so easy. Learn the campus and beware of the difficulty of finding a parking space.

* Make sure the courses taken at the community college transfer to a four-year institution. Figure out your major as soon as possible. Motivate and discipline yourself on making good grades. Clue yourself on all the core classes, classes toward your degree that you should be taking. Contact the appropriate counseling office (by major) at TU early and make sure that your hours will transfer. Do your research, know transfer equivalencies. Know what transfers (credits). Know degree requirements. Keep looking at your degree plan with your advisors. Check, double-check, triplecheck what the degree requirements are. Get all basics and cores out of the way first.

* Make sure your grades are high before you take the "hard" classes at college.

* Take all your basics at the C.C. It is the cheapest & easiest way to do things.

* Attend classes regularly and study.

* Be ready to do your work--if you aren't already--Be prepared for longer classes and a more difficult time making friends. Prepare yourself for many hours of studying compared to the little amount that you did at a community college.

* Take notes, study, no class is a "blow-off" class.

* Get involved in campus activities and to get to know as many people as possible. It helps not only for your resume but it also allows you to meet a lot of people and you can network and be connections that can land you your dream job.

* Collaborate and communicate with other students in your classes. You might need them later on in the semester or academic career.

* Take advantage at all the different resources available at TU.

Implications for Policy and Practice

This study provides new insight to a group of students who began their experience at an urban community college in a multi-campus community college district in Texas. Although the sample is small, the goal of the study was to provide a descriptive portrait of urban transfer students' perceptions, attitudes, and college experiences at the university. The results of the study have implications for higher education leaders, researchers, policy makers, faculty, student affairs professionals, and college personnel both at the two- and four-year levels. An underlying theme from the data suggest that prior experiences at the community college can have a positive or negative influence on students' overall transition and adjustment to the new institutional culture of the university. The quality of counseling and advising services at the two-year college could facilitate the preparation of transfer students in terms of possessing a good understanding of the admission process, transfer and articulation policies, and expectations of the four-year experience. A recurring theme from the narratives suggests that transfer students need to be proactive toward their learning and experiences both at the two- and four-year environments; that is, developing a sense of personal capital is important to establish autonomy and independence regarding the transfer process. Learning how to navigate the educational bureaucracy and understanding the ins and outs of the process is a skill that all students can learn and master. If these skills are developed while attending the community college, then, these sets of skills and level of self-confidence could be transferable to the new environment of the university.

The data from this study is beneficial to a diverse audience, including instructional faculty, student services professionals, Transfer Center Directors, and Institutional Researchers and Planners. Instructional faculty can use the data to examine and modify department curriculum, as well as develop new academic programs to meet the needs of transfer students. Student Service professionals could apply the research findings to develop branches of existing programs, as well as establish new ones, specifically focusing on the program's impact on historically underrepresented students. Four-year institutions can use the research findings to build more adequate bridges for the transition of the community college transfer student, as well as assess their own existing support services and curriculum offerings. Finally, this study has implications for institutional researchers and planners. The research could inform individuals who hold positions in research and planning at the two- and four-year environments about the methodology and research design that could be employed to follow-up students. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches can provide a more holistic understanding of the complex transfer process among community college students.

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Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. (2001). Closing the gaps: The Texas higher education plan. Austin, TX: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Townsend, B. K. (1995). Community college transfer students: A case study of survival. Review of Higher Education, 18, 175-193.

Zamani, E.M. (2001). Institutional responses to barriers to the transfer process. In F. S. Laanan (ed.), Transfer students: Trends and issues, 114, 15-24. New Directions for Community Colleges. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Frankie Santos Laanan, Iowa State University

Soko S. Starobin, University of North Texas

Laanan, Ph.D., is assistant professor of higher education. Starobin is institutional research analyst in the office of Institutional Research and Accreditation and doctoral candidate.