18th Annual Student Research Conference
Science
First Year Student Experiences: A Segue To Faculty-Student Mentoring Program
Amber S. Byrd
Dr. Michael Seipel, Faculty Mentor
Significant scholarship in recent years has been devoted to documenting and addressing the challenges faced by students during the first year of college (Upcraft, et al. 2005). One means of supporting first-year students is through peer or faculty-student mentoring relationships. For this study, a sample of 47 first- through fourth-year Truman students who began their college experience at Truman and met the criteria of “first-generation, low-income background” were identified with the help of Admissions and Financial Aid offices. Trained interviewers conducted in-person, structured interviews with 20 of these students. Students responded to questions about challenges they faced during their first year, how they responded to these challenges, and what inter-personal and institutional resources they drew on to address challenges. This presentation will identify common challenges experienced by first-year Truman students, focusing on mentoring relationships as one strategy to help students make a successful transition to college.
Keywords: first year student, mentoring program
Topic(s):Agricultural Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 23-1
Location: VH 1010
Time: 9:45