Community involvement and integration are important to success.

• Living on campus has been identified as an important factor toward students successfully completing their degrees (Astin, 1993; Kuh, Shuh & Whitt, 1991).

• An effective residential learning community allows students to connect with the university, directly. Living on-campus serves as “an early physical, social, and academic anchor during the transition to college life” (Tinto, 1993, p. 25).

• University involvement can be instrumental in determining student experiences and success. The more a student engages in involvement opportunities the greater the student's ability to successfully complete his or her academic program (Blimling, 1993).

• Pace (1990) identified “significant differences in students” quality of involvement based where they chose to live. Typically, residents are significantly more satisfied with college and are more positive about the social and interpersonal environments of their campus than students choosing to live off-campus (Pascarella, 1985).

• “Students who never lived in an on-campus” a residential community “reported the least breadth and depth of campus involvement” while, “students living on campus were more involved” (Ballou et al, 1995: 20).

• Students who live on-campus consistently graduate at significantly higher rates than those students who do not live on campus (Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991). Astin (1977) argued that living on-campus adds 12% net advantage to students' chance of graduating.

Living in an on-campus community makes for a more satisfying university experience, increased opportunities to get involved, greater chances of academic success, and a happier student. Go to Apply Now and start the process today!

References

Astin, A. (1977) Four critical years: Effects of college on beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

Astin, A (1993) What Matters in College? Four critical years revisited. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ballou, R., Reavill, L.K., & Schultz, B.L. (1995) Assessing the Immediate and Residual Effects of the Residence Hall Experience: Validating Pace's 1990 Analysis of On-Campus and Off-Campus Students. Journal of College and University Student Housing, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 16-22.

Blimling, G.S. (1993) The influence of college residence halls on academic performance. Journal of College Student Development, Vol. 9, pp. 248-307.

Kuh, G., Shuh, J., Whitt, E., & Associates. (1991). Involving colleges: Successful approaches to fostering student learning and development outside the classroom. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pace, C.R. (1990) College Student Experiences Questionnaire (3 rd ed., 1990). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning.

Pascarella, E.T. (1985) The influence of on-campus living versus communting to college on intellectual and interpersonal self-concept. Journal of College Student Personnel, Vol. 26, pp. 292-299.

Pascarella, E.T and Terenzini, P.T. (1991) How College affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, (2 nd ed.) Chicago: University of Chicago Press.