COUNSELING
CENTER
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
TRANSFER
STUDENTS AND FRESHMEN:
SIMILARITIES
AND DIFFERENCES
Marie L.
Miville and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report # 4-93
Data
were collected in cooperation with the orientation office and were analyzed
using facilities of the Computer Science Center, both at the University of
Maryland, College Park.
COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
TRANSFER
STUDENTS AND FRESHMEN: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Marie L.
Miville and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report # 4-93
SUMMARY
A sample of 295 transfer students (51% female) and 2584
freshman students (50% female) completed a questionnaire containing a number of
demographic and attitudinal items as part of a summer orientation program.
While freshman and transfer students were not found to significantly differ on
either gender or race, these two groups differed in level of previous work
experience and academic background. A greater number of freshmen, for example,
were found to have higher high school rankings. With respect to reasons for
attending and remaining in school and identifying the easiest/hardest aspects
of adjusting to the university, however, transfer and freshman students
expressed similar views. Freshman and transfer students also shared similar
views on a number of attitudinal items, though transfer students expressed a
significantly higher interest in counseling for both educational/vocational and
emotional/social issues. Freshmen, on the other hand, expected to have a more
difficult time adjusting to the academic demands of the university. Programming
implications for the study are discussed, including the need to focus on
similar aspects of the adjustment process for all students, as well as the need
to incorporate demographic differences among students.
1
An important trend in higher education settings in recent
years has been the steady increase of transfer students (Peng, 1978). While the
term "transfer student" is used to generally describe those students
who transfer from one institution to another, studies have demonstrated that
persons within this group vary with respect to both pre-transfer and post-transfer
performance along a number of demographic and academic dimensions: age,
race/ethnicity, year of transfer, institution of origin.(two-year vs.
four-year), and pre-transfer GPA (Flum, 1989) .
For example, persons from a higher socioeconomic (SES)
background have been found to transfer from a community college to a 4-year
institution at a higher rate than those who are from a lower SES background
(Peng, 1978; Velez & Javalgi, 1987). Males have also been found to transfer
at higher rates from community colleges to 4-year institutions than
females (Velez & Javalgi, 1987). And Whites have similarly been found to
have higher transfer rates from community colleges to 4-year institutions
than persons from visible racial/ethnic groups (VREG) (Herndon & Leon,
1986).
There have also been studies of the post-transfer
performance of transfer students. For example, while male students transfer at
higher rates, men and women have been found to have similar graduation rates
from these institutions (Holahan, Green, & Kelley, 1983). Additionally,
studies have shown that female transfer students have similar or higher GPA's
2
on average than male students (Flum, 1989: Holahan et al.,
1983) in institutions to which these students have transferred.
Research on ethnicity and post-transfer performance
has been mixed and must be viewed carefully, given the small numbers of VREG
students included in these studies (Holahan et al., 1983). Holahan et al.
(1983) found that Latino students graduated at higher rates than White or
African-American students, although White students had the highest
overall GPA's. Durio, Helmick, and Slover (1982) also noted that White
engineering students scored highest on various academic achievement measures,
followed by Chicano and African-American students.
Transfer students have also been shown to differ from
"native" or nontransfer students on a number of demographic and
academic variables. Most studies have noted that nontransfer students tend to
have higher GPA's (usually high school) than transfer students upon entering
college. Nontransfer students have also been found to perform better within the
institution, for example, earning higher grades and being retained at higher
rates (Lunneborg & Lunneborg, 1976).
In light of these findings, the term "transfer
shock" has been coined to denote the lowered performance of transfer
students, in comparison to pre-transfer performance (Holahan et al.,
1983). Coupled with lower performance are psychosocial issues, such as the
relatively lower self-confidence and lower motivation of transfer
students (Johnson, 1987) which may further affect post-transfer
performance. Holahan, Curran, and Kelley
3
(1982) have suggested that early performance has an
important role in forming student expectations of subsequent academic
performance. Thus, it is reasonable to suggest that early negative experiences
may lower student expectations of, and motivation for, academic success.
In addition, transfer students also face adjustment issues
that most new entering students deal with (Feldman, Sedlacek, & Wright,
1977). Studies conducted on freshman students, for example, have focused on a
number of variables affecting the adjustment process. on campus involvement has
been noted by several authors (eg., Astin, 1985; Sedlacek, 1987) as being
critical in the adjustment process. That is, becoming involved either in on-campus
organizations or in positive student/faculty interactions has been positively
linked with student retention & Sedlacek, 1987 ; Johnson, 1987) .
On-campus involvement has been found to similarly
affect the academic performance of transfer students. Volkwein, King, and
Terenzini (1986) note that interaction with faculty can be critical in helping
to develop the cognitive skills of transfer students. Academic integration or
on-campus involvement, -particularly for female transfer students,
has also been linked to both academic success and satisfaction (Johnson, 1987).
Thus, an important similarity in the adjustment process
between entering freshman and transfer students has been noted. The question
exists, however, concerning the extent to which the needs and expectations of
transfer students during this
4
adjustment process are similar to and different from
freshman students. For example, Wrenn (1967, in Feldman, Sedlacek, &
Wright, 1977) wrote that "transfers are freshmen in every sense of the
word except for a few more years of general maturity and some additional
academic content gathered elsewhere." Such similarity may be seen in the
fact that, while transfer students may have difficulty initially adjusting to
university life,
graduation rates of these students are similar to those of
nontransfer students, about 600 (Lunneborg & Lunneborg, 1976; Holahan et
al., 2983). Transfer students also have not been found to take longer to obtain
their degrees, in some cases finishing earlier than nontransfer students
(Holahan et al., 1983). And, in another study, Feldman, Sedlacek, and Wright (1977)
observed that transfer and freshman students were more
similar than different on a number of attitudinal items such as factors important to long-term
career choices and choice of extra-curricular activities.
However, demographic variables may affect the performance
and self-perceptions of transfer students, relative to nontransfer
students. Transfer students tend to be of a more nontraditional college age,
have children, work a part-time or full-time job, and receive less
financial assistance once enrolled in the institution (Richman, 1979, in Johnson,
1987). It is reasonable to suggest that any number of these variables may
affect the successful adjustment and retention of transfer students. In support
of this statement, Holahan, Curry, and
5
Kelley (1982) observed that transfer students' awareness
of themselves as a unique group was important in predicting transfer student
expectations of academic success. Thus, the data are not clear on how potential
demographic differences, such as age and marital status, existent between
transfer and freshman students lead to both similar and different adjustment
needs, and subsequently, programming needs.
The current study sought to combine a number of variables
previously examined separately. These variables consisted of demographic,
academic, and psychosocial dimensions of transfer students shown to affect
performance. Thus, not only were items assessing gender, race, and previous GPA
used, but items assessing transfer student expectations about the university
(eg., participating in on-campus events, family support) were also
included as well. These variables were measured at the beginning of the
transfer students' experience at the transfer institution. Transfer student responses were also compared
with
those of freshman students to determine how similar or
different these two groups were along various demographic and attitudinal dimensions.
A random sample of 295 transfer students (51% female) and
2584 freshmen (50% female) completed a questionnaire as part of summer
orientation programs at a large eastern' university. The questionnaire
contained a number demographic and attitudinal items. Data analyses
(multivariate analysis of variance and chisquare) were performed on responses
to identical items between
6 the two student groups. Reported findings were
significant at the .05 level
Demographic Variables. There were no
significant differences in the racial backgrounds of transfer and freshman
students. Transfer students were made up of 77% Whites, 12% Asian Americans, 7%
Blacks, 3% Latinos, and 1% other race, while freshmen consisted of 70% White, 17%
Asian American, 8% Black, 3% Latino, and 2% of another race. Both groups were
also equally represented by males and females (approximately 50% female). Of
the transfer student sample, 57% came from community colleges, while 40% stated
that they were transferring from four-year colleges; seven students did
not indicate their university of origin.
Freshmen and transfer students differed somewhat in
previous work experience. Though the majority of both groups worked part time
year-round (61% and 53% for freshmen and transfers,
respectively), more freshmen worked only during the summer
(25%) than transfers (12%). On the other hand, more transfers had another
employment arrangement (28%), such as full-time employment, than did
freshmen (4%).
Academic Background. High school rankings of
freshmen and transfer students were significantly different; many more freshmen
identified themselves as being in the top five or ten percent of their class
(34%) than did transfer students (24%). Transfer and freshmen students also
intended to obtain differing levels of degrees. That is, transfer students set
their sights mainly on obtaining bachelor's (39%) and master's degrees (36%),
while freshmen were more likely to choose postbaccalaureate degrees, such as
master's (42%), doctoral (16%), and law or medical degrees (2o%).
Freshman and transfer students also did not resemble each
other in their family's academic background. More freshmen than transfer
students had had parents who attended college (84% and 66%, respectively),
although more transfer students (61%) had siblings who had previously attended
at least one year of college in comparison to 480 of the freshmen.
Attending and Remaining in College.
Rankings of reasons that transfer and freshman students had for attending
college were somewhat similar. For transfer students, the top three reasons
were: preparing for graduate school, gaining a general education, and getting a
better job. Freshmen chose the following reasons: getting a better job,
preparing for graduate school, and developing oneself generally. With respect
to important components of long-term career choices, both samples were
also quite similar. Transfer students selected intrinsic interest in the field,
working with people, and prestigious occupation for their top choices, while
freshmen selected the following: interest in the field, prestigious occupation,
and high anticipated earnings.
Transfer and freshman students were also somewhat similar
in their reasons for remaining in college. The top three reasons
8
for transfers were: that a college degree was the only way
to enter a chosen career, interest in ideas/pursuit of knowledge, and a degree
was required to enter graduate or professional school. The three most often
cited reasons for freshmen included: a college degree was the only way to enter
a chosen career as well as to enter graduate or professional school, and that
college graduates get better jobs. Thus, despite demographic and academic differences,
the motivations to enter and remain in college seem quite comparable between
these two groups of students.
Adjusting to the University.
Transfer and freshman students were also asked what they thought would be both
the easiest and hardest aspects of adjusting to college life. With respect to
the easiest part of adjusting, the three most frequently cited aspects were
exactly alike for the two student
groups: meeting and getting to know other students, deciding whether to
get involved in campus activities, and selecting a field of study and/or
career. Significantly more transfer students than freshmen, however, thought
that earning satisfactory-grades and studying efficiently would be the
easiest aspects. And more freshmen than transfers believed that meeting
financial expenses and becoming a more critical and independent thinker would
be the least difficult aspects of college adjustment.
The picture was also somewhat similar for describing the
most difficult aspects of adjustment. For transfer students, the most frequent
responses were: budgeting time (31%), meeting
9
financial expenses (18%), and earning satisfactory grades
(12%). Freshman students chose the following responses most often: budgeting
time (27%), studying efficiently (25%), and earning satisfactory grades (10%).
Student Attitudes and Expectations. On
most items dealing with attitudes and expectations, freshmen and transfers
revealed significant differences either in the direction or degree of their
responses. Table 1 contains attitudinal items included in the questionnaires
administered to both groups of students. The item where the sharpest
disagreement occurred between freshmen and transfers was "I expect to
participate in some form of intramural sports at UMCP"; freshmen were more
likely to expect. such participation. Freshmen were also more likely than
transfer students to expect to have a hard time adjusting to the academic work at
UMCP. Relatedly, transfer students did not anticipate problems getting the
classes they wanted, and were further more likely to expect their courses to be
stimulating and exciting.
Transfer students were also more likely to express
interest in counseling for both educational/vocational and emotional/social
concerns.
What emerges from the current findings is a complex
picture of how transfer and freshman students are both similar to and
10
different from each other. Demographically and
academically, the two groups of students are more different than alike, for
example, in their educational aspirations and family history. Differences in
expectations of what one is likely to do, especially in interactions with the
campus community, also appeared. A number of attitudinal differences between
these two groups of students were additionally apparent.
Of note is that freshman students were more likely than
transfer students to be concerned about their ability to adjust to the academic
work. These students, however, were more likely than transfer students to
expect on-campus involvement, such as sports, religious activities, and
collaborative efforts with other students. Meanwhile, transfer students were
more likely to expect their courses to be stimulating and have little trouble
obtaining them. These students were also more likely than freshman students to
express interest in vocational counseling and expect a close relationship with
their academic advisor.
It is conceivable that transfer students may be more able
to identify formal sources of assistance for adjustment problems, thus leading
to higher expectations of their abilities to adapt to the demands of university
life. In contrast, freshmen tended to agree with items suggesting more informal
ways of adjusting, such as engaging in religious activities or intramural
sports, as well as having the support and interest of family members.
Involvement in these activities may not appear to freshmen as ways of adjusting
to college; they may perhaps underestimate the
11
power of these methods in helping them to adjust to the
university. Developmental issues related to self-esteem may also affect
younger students' self-perceptions of their abilities to adapt to college
life whereas older students are not likely to be dealing with such issues.
But in terms of reasons for attending and remaining in
college as well as more specifically describing the easiest and hardest
components of adjusting, transfer and freshman students were quite similar.
With respect to adjusting, for example, both groups tended to focus selecting a
career and meeting other people as the easiest parts of adjusting, and
budgeting time and earning satisfactory grades as the more difficult
components. In line with previous research (eg., Johnson, 1987), however,
transfer students were more likely to be concerned about meeting financial
expenses than freshman students. Reasons for attending and remaining in college
were also somewhat similar among freshman and transfer students. Such reasons
tended to focus on preparing for graduate school and obtaining a better job.
The current study indicates then that both transfer and
freshman students are similarly concerned about a number of issues that will
affect them as students, regardless of their status as transfers or freshmen.
Such issues center on obtaining appropriate advising, interacting effectively
with peers and faculty, participating in on-campus activities, seeking
available resources, and so on. Satisfactorily resolving these concerns would
conceivably affect the successful adjustment and retention
12
of any student.
But similarities between freshmen and transfer students
must be viewed carefully, particularly when designing interventions for
transfer students. Interactions with demographic variables, such as age,
marital or parental status, and occupation, may affect the level of
participation transfer students can make in such programs. The findings of
Holahan, et al. (1982) are relevant; their study noted that transfer students
were aware that they were unique as a student group, and compared themselves
with other transfer students, rather than students in general, to help
determine their chances of success in college. Thus, devising strategies to
encourage interaction among transfer students may help provide support and
positive models within the university environment.
Alternate forms of interventions via the mail or
telephone, as well as evening or weekend scheduling of special events may also
need to be considered in making interventions for transfer students. Programming implications for transfer students
should also include work-related differences; transfer students may not
be able to be on campus as often as freshmen (i.e., they
are more likely to be commuting and from longer distances) or stay on campus
for long periods of time. Programs that universities create to help transfer
students may additionally need to differ from those offered freshmen because of
different family
situations (eg., being a single parent) and financial circumstances.
Thus, student affairs professionals and
administrators interested in helping transfer students
adjust to the academic and social demands of a university must be aware that
transfer students, as a class of students, will be dealing with a variety of
adjustment issues that are at once similar to yet different from those freshman
students face.
14
References
Astin, A. W. (1985, July/August). Involvement: The
cornerstone of excellence. Change, 35-39.
Durio, H. F., Helmick, C. K., & Slover, J. T. (1982).
A comparison of aptitude and achievement between
transfer engineering students
and students entering engineering as freshmen at a major university. Educational
Research Quarterly, 7, 42-50.
Feldman, J., Sedlacek, W. E., & Wright, L. M. (1977).
A comparison of transfer students and incoming freshmen
who entered the University of
Maryland, College Park, in Fall, 1975. Counseling Center Research Report 12-77.
University of Maryland, College Park.
Flum, M. E: (1989). The relationship of selected
variables to transfer student academic performance at the
University of Maryland. Unpublished
master's thesis, University of Maryland, College Park.
Herndon! S., & Leon, D. (1986). Strategies to improve
the transfer rate of minority students. Journal of College Student
Personnel, 27, 366-367.
Holahan, C.K., Curran, L.T., & Kelley, H. P. (1982).
The formation of student performance expectancies: The
relationship of student
perceptions and social comparisons. Journal of College Student Personnel, 23,
497-502.
Holahan, C. K., Green, J. L., & Kelley, H. P. (1983). A 6-year longitudinal analysis of transfer student
performance and retention. Journal
of College Student Personnel, 24, 305310.
Johnson, N. T. (1987). Academic factors that affect
transfer student persistence. Journal of College Student
Personnel, 28, 323-329.
Lunneborg, C. E., & Lunneborg, P. W. (1976). Characteristics of university graduates who were community
college transfer. Journal of College
Student Personnel, 17, 61-65.
Mallinckrodt, B., & Sedlacek, W. E. (1987). Student retention and the use of campus facilities by race.
National Association of Student
Personnel Administrators Journal, 24, 28-32.
Peng, S. S. (1978). Transfer students in institutions of
higher education. Research in Higher Education, 8,
319-342.
Sedlacek, W. E. (1987) . 'Blacks in Whit a colleges: Twenty
years of research. Journal of College Student
Personnel, 28,
484495.
Velez, W., & Javalgi, R. G. (1987). Two-year college to fouryear college: The likelihood of transfer.
American Journal of Education, 96, 81-94.
Volkwein, J. F., King, M. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (1986). Student-faculty relationships and intellectual
growth among transfer students. Journal
of Higher Education, 57, 413-430.
|
Table 1: Attitudes and Expectations of Transfer and
Freshman Students: Means and Standard Deviations |
|||||
|
|
Transfers |
|
Freshmen |
||
|
Item |
Mean |
SD |
|
Mean |
SD |
|
1. I am interested in
counseling regarding educational/vocational plans. |
2.06* |
1 |
|
2.54 |
1.12 |
|
2. I expect that most of
my college courses will be stimulating and exciting. |
2.05* |
0.7 |
|
2.22 |
0.73 |
|
3. Everyone should do some
form of volunteer work. |
2.51 |
0.93 |
|
2.53 |
0.96 |
|
4. I expect to participate
in some form of intramural sports at UMCP. |
3.03* |
1.17 |
|
2.42 |
1.18 |
|
5. I do not anticipate
problems in getting the classes I want. |
3.12* |
0.94 |
|
3.32 |
1.09 |
|
6. I expect to get to know
one or more faculty well in my first year at UMCP. |
2.17 |
0.86 |
|
2.16 |
0.83 |
|
7. At least one person in
my family will be interested in knowing what happens in my classes. |
1.47* |
0.71 |
|
1.36 |
0.72 |
|
8. I expect to have
opportunities to collaborate with other students in my major. |
1.70* |
0.67 |
|
1.62 |
0.66 |
|
9. I expect to be involved
in religious activities. |
3.37* |
1.11 |
|
3.19 |
1.21 |
|
10. I expect my
relationship with my academic advisor to be closer than with my college
professors. |
2.47* |
0.79 |
|
2.59 |
0.79 |
|
11. I expect a hard time
adjusting to the academic work. |
3.37* |
0.91 |
|
2.79 |
1.02 |
|
12. I am interested in
seeking counseling regarding emotional/social concerns. |
3.77* |
0.96 |
|
3.97 |
1.01 |
|
13. UMCP has a good
academic reputation. |
1.82* |
0.69 |
|
1.97 |
0.67 |
*Items significantly different at the .05 level using
MANOVA.
Note: 1=Strongly Agree, 5=Strongly Disagree