Do First-Year College Students' Expectations Align with their First-Year Experiences?

Abstract

First-year college students ’ expectations about “what college is like ” do not always align with their actual experiences. This study examined 31 first-year students ’ social and academic expectations and compared those expectations with students ’ experiences at the middle and end of their first year of college. Paired t tests revealed that students’ academic and social expectations did not align with their first-year experiences. Academic and social expectations/experiences were not statistically significant predictors of first-year academic achievement. However, students with unrealistic high social or academic expectations had lower first-year grade point averages (GPAs) than students with average or below-average expectations. Recommendations for increasing high school and college collaboration to assist students with the transition to college