A Comparison of Personal Assessments of the College Experience Among Reservation and Nonreservation American Indian Students

This article compares the college experiences of one group of American Indian students who were raised primarily on a reservation with a second group who were reared primarily in nonreservation areas. Students were asked to evaluate their collegiate experiences in terms of perceived academic difficulties, financial difficulties, personal/social difficulties, satisfaction with college, difficulty in the transition to college, and impact of college experience on an appreciation of American Indian heritage. Two seemingly opposing differences were revealed from the students reared on a reservation. They were likely to report academic difficulties and more difficulty with the transition to college; however, they were also more likely to report that being in college had resulted in a greater appreciation of American Indian heritage