Orientation for African-American Students at a Small, Liberal Arts College

A three-day program was designed to assist African-American students in their transition to a small, liberal arts college in New England. Although the students admitted in previous years had met the usual predictive criteria for success in college (e.g., good academic preparation and above average SAT scores), their retention rate at the end of the first year had been significantly lower than that for their class. All entering students were invited to participate. Participation was voluntary. The first two years 74% of entering African-American students participated; the third year 85% participated. The goals of the program were (a) to familiarize students with the workings of the college, (b) to allow students an opportunity to meet significant members of the college community, (c) to assist students in adapting to the academic demands of the classroom, and (d) to give students a chance to feel comfortable in the new environment. The retention rate for African-American students for all three years was 96%, similar to the overall rate for their classes.