Abstract
Background. Limited research exists describing the college adjustment experiences of first-time freshmen in Alaska. Geographical remoteness from the rest of the United States, along with extreme isolation of rural communities, present unique circumstances for Alaska's college-bound high school graduates and the postsecondary institutions they attend. This study established a research base describing the adjustment to college experiences of a fall 2006 University of Alaska cohort of first-time, full-time freshmen. Purpose. This study described the academic, social, personal-emotional, and overall levels of adjustment and degree of attachment to college for first-time, full-time University of Alaska freshmen. This study determined whether differences in college adjustment existed for participants based on their gender, race and/or ethnicity, community of origin, and college living arrangement. Methodology. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire was administered via the World Wide Web to measure volunteer participants' adjustment to college. A descriptive research design was used to describe 323 participants' responses. A quantitative research design was used to determine the effect independent variables had on the dependent variables. Findings. Survey participants from rural Alaskan communities had lower Academic Adjustment scores than urban participants; participants living on campus had lower Academic Adjustment scores and higher Social Adjustment scores than off-campus participants; participants living off campus with family members had the highest Academic Adjustment scores; and males scored higher on the Personal-Emotional Adjustment subscale than females. These findings are based on a volunteer participants and may not be generalized to this study's population. Conclusions. Whether participants lived on or off campus during their first semester of college appeared to have impacted participants' perceptions of their college adjustment experience. Participants living on campus perceived that they coped more successfully with the social demands of college, and off-campus participants perceived that they coped more successfully with the academic demands of college. Participants who came to college from rural Alaskan communities appeared to have more difficulties adjusting to college than participants from urban Alaskan communities. Research findings suggest rural students living off campus need focused academic and social support services and additional staff attention during their first semester of college.