"I Was 14 When I Started College": Exploring the Experiences of Adolescents Attending Postsecondary Institutions

• In Event: Student and Institutional Contexts

Abstract

A qualitative retrospective approach was used to examine the identity development of Middle College High School (MCHS) Alumni that were enrolled in high school and college simultaneously during their adolescent years. Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) Seven Vectors of Development is applied in this work to examine how alumni gained a sense of self and what postsecondary contextual nuances shaped their development during ages 14-18 years. Preliminary results centered on Vector 1-Developing Competence and Vector 2-Managing Emotions, reveal that alumni developed competence as a result of the college coursework they completed, supplemented by the expectations set forth by college professors. Peer support and early college seminars helped alumni manage the anxiety they felt taking college classes while in high school.

Authors

• Montrischa Money Williams, American Institutes for Research

• Denice Ward Hood, University of Illinois

• William T. Trent, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign