This quantitative study investigated relationships among and between university early and late admitted freshmen and academic performance and persistence. The participants in this study consisted of 3,197 early freshmen applicants and 309 late freshmen applicants admitted at a large southwestern student centered public research university over the course of the year prior to the fall 2008 academic year. Significant results, using a statistical significance level of p < .05, were reported for the majority of variables examined: chi-square analysis revealed a significant relationship between application date and ethnicity; independent-samples t-tests revealed significant differences in SAT scores; 78.06% of late applicants were male compared to 40.83% of early applicants; mean GPA of early applicants was 2.62 compared to 2.18 among those who applied late; and lastly, 76.62% of early applicants returned the following year in comparison to 57.42% of late applicants. The results of this study provide preliminary support for the examination of admission policies and procedures in relation to late application. Recommendations are made for advising, counseling, and other interventions that may ease the transition of freshmen late applicants while enhancing retention and persistence.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / Hikaru H. Peterson / The prevalence of obesity and overweight has heightened over the last 40 years. Over two thirds of the US adult population is overweight or obese. Further, 18% of adolescents, ages 12 to 19, are obese, which is an increase of over 13% since the late 1970’s. Food environment and peer influence have been emerging areas of study and are thought to be catalysts to unhealthy eating choices. College students present a unique opportunity to look at the impact of a changing food environment, including changes in peer groups. This study is concerned with how students’ peers impact their food consumption and ultimately weight. College freshmen were recruited during their first month on campus at Kansas State University. The students participated in a year-long, three-part study to track their eating habits, weight and height. The students’ parents were also asked to participate by filling out a survey on eating habits. The students also asked one friend they ate with at least once a week to fill out a food record with them. The collected information was transformed into daily average calories for each of six food groups and for macronutrients. A peer ratio was created from the parents and friends calorie intakes to determine the similarity in consumption by each food group or macronutrient. A system of equations was specified and estimated for both food groups and macronutrients. For the food group model, beverages were the only food group with a statistically significant peer ratio term. The coefficient on the ratio was positive, indicating that students would consume more calories from beverages, as their college friends consumed more calories from beverages relative to the students’ parents at home. In the macronutrient model, protein had a statistically significant and positive peer ratio. An examination of the impacts of predicted calories consumed from food groups, along with other individual characteristics, on student’s BMI in the spring term, indicated that increasing snack consumption led to an increase in BMI while increasing bread consumption caused a decrease. Eating more meals at the university dining center also increased BMI. An analysis for the predicted macronutrient values revealed a similar relationship with eating more meals at the dining center, but the predicted macronutrients did not have statistically significant impacts on BMI.

Racial discrimination has been linked to depressive symptoms (Pascoe & Richman, 2009), but only a few studies have explored this relationship longitudinally. This study examines the possible moderating role of faculty and peer support on the discrimination-depression relationship amongst 180 ethnic minority college freshmen. Results of the hierarchical regression indicate that racial discrimination, β = .13, p < .05, in the first semester of freshman year significantly predicted depressive symptoms in the second semester of freshman year. No interactions were found between discrimination and peer support (β = .06, p > .05), or between discrimination and two forms of faculty support (faculty interactions, β = .05, p > .05, and faculty concern, β = -.10, p > .05). Thus, unlike predicted, peer and faculty support did not serve as protective factors against discrimination-related stress. Future studies should investigate which types of coping most benefit ethnic minority freshmen.

The purposes of this study were to identify selected characteristics of American Indian entering freshman students and to identify selected factors related to the increasing number entering two- or four-year colleges or universities. In addition, the identified characteristics and factors were compared with a sample of Mexican American/Chicanos and in selected areas with other white/Caucasians to determine similarities and differences between the three groups. Six research questions were formulated and examined to achieve the purposes of this study. The data were extracted from the annual freshmen surveys for fall 1966, 1972, and 1978 of the Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP), and the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). The variables selected and analyzed from the annual freshmen surveys were sex, age, high-school rank, concern about finances, enrollment status, need for academic help, probable major field of study, probable careers, highest degree planned, type of institutions attended, control of institutions attended, regions of institutions attended, and reasons for selecting a particular institution. NLS variables used were community orientation, family orientation, work orientation, self-concept, locus of control, socioeconomic status, sources of planned and used financial aid, and information on continuing college students. The statistical procedures used to analyze the data were frequency counts, percentages, and the t-test of significance. The data indicated that changes had occurred between 1966 and 1978 on selected characteristics of American Indian entering freshman students. The comparisons of American Indian with Mexican American/Chicano and/or white/Caucasian entering freshman students showed more similarities than differences on selected characteristics, particularly in 1978. The findings showed community orientation, family orientation, and work orientation were not associated with entrance into college for the three groups studied. Whereas, self-concept, locus of control, and socioeconomic status were associated with entrance into college for the three groups. Sources of financial aid varied for each group, and at least 70 percent of all students from each group continued in college. Further study is recommended on American Indians at all levels of higher education because data is not plentiful.

The purpose of this study is to make a survey of freshman classes in four Texas colleges to determine, in the opinion of first-year college students, the weaknesses in their high-school training that have operated to make their college work more difficult. Three major fields of difficulties -- subject matter of the high schools, the high-school teacher, and the high-school's part in developing habits and influencing students -- were used as a basis for the survey.

The primary objective was to investigate the effectiveness of short-term group guidance and short-term individual counseling with freshman college students. The design utilizes the method and procedure of comparing similar groups of students who received group guidance, students who received individual counseling, and students who received no counseling or guidance. A comparison of the ratio between self-ratings and objectively evaluated test scores before and after the study served as the basis for determining the effectiveness of the experimental variables.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the factors that are associated with freshman students who make superior marks in freshman college English and with students who make failing marks in freshman college English.

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to determine the study skills of college freshmen.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the value, as determined by student achievement, of using a discovery method of teaching mathematics in a college freshman mathematics course for non-mathematics and non-science majors.

The problem of this study was the relationship of health knowledges to health practices of college freshmen at North Texas State University.