Research + News | Topic: First-Year Students

Tell Me More: 8 Conversations To Start (And Continue) With Your College Freshman

Fuller Youth Institute overs some helpful conversations to have with those who have just begun college. Read the article here.

Looks Like Guys Are More Prone To Pack On The ‘Freshman 15’

A study revealed that freshman boys saw bigger increases in terms of waist size and overall fat mass than girls. Read the article here.

Penn State Updates Course On Drinking And Sexual Violence, Aiming To Keep Students ‘Safe & Aware’

Penn State recently revamped its online course for incoming freshmen. Students learn about alcohol safety and sexual violence. Read the article here.

The Beloit College Mindset List: Class of 2021

Beloit College Releases the Mindset List for This Year’s Entering Class of First-Year College Students.

Read the list here.

Why Aren’t Students Showing Up For College?

According to research from Harvard, between 10% and 40% of the kids who intend to go to college at the time of high school graduation don’t actually show up in the fall. Education researchers call this phenomenon “summer melt,” and it has long been a puzzling problem. Listen to the story on NPR here.

Goodbyes of Summer: As Teens Leave for College, Families Feel Jumble of Emotions

When Victoria Dawson flew last week from Washington, D.C., to Boulder, Colo., to drop off her daughter Ellie for her freshman year of college, she and Ellie’s father saw it as a chance for some final quality time together. Read the full article here.

College Prep: How Can Students Stand Strong for Their Faith in College?

It’s heartbreaking to see students who were active Christians in high school disengage from their faith and the church once they’ve been in college for a while—sometimes a very short while.

Read the full article from Sean McDowell for Salvo Magazine here.

Backgrounds and Beliefs of College Freshmen

For five decades, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles have surveyed the nation’s incoming freshmen to learn more about their backgrounds, views, and expectations.

See the most recent results here.

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2019

Now in its 18th year from Beloit College, The Mindset List continues to reflect the worldview of entering first year students.

Check out the list here.

Getting In To College Doesn’t Mean Students Are Ready to Go

A post on the Motherlode blog of the New York Times says: “Let’s not equate college admission with college readiness. The skills needed to graduate from high school and get into college have surprisingly little in common with those needed to manage, much less thrive, away from home in an undergraduate setting. There should be no shame in ‘taking time off.'”

Read the full article here.