University of Mississippi First Year Students, and Messages About College

This study explored the experiences of first-year college students relative to their expectations of college. I gathered data from observations of small group discussions, individual interviews, and scholarly literature. I found that there are consistent ideas that students expect concerning college. Those expectations are at times realized during the experiences of the first semester. At other times, those expectations are adjusted when they do not align with the students’ experiences. Scholarly literature provides a helpful lens through which to understand the expectations and subsequent experiences of firstyear students. Il