Creating a College-Enrolling Culture: Reforming Matriculation to Support Student Success

• In Event: From Tech to Tours: Research Rethinking the Transition to College

Abstract

This paper focuses on the experiences of over 200 respondents living in New York City (NYC), drawing on interview, focus group, and survey data to unpack the implications of the final stage(s) of the college application and enrollment process. Using Gabrielle Oliveira’s (2018) concept of the “care constellation,” this paper investigates how students’ interactions with institutional representatives over the course of the matriculation process affect their college identity. We find that online communication forums have yet to address the challenges posed by enrollment tasks, and that students still depend primarily on interpersonal interactions that can have a significant effect on their sense of self and their opinions about college.

Authors

• Corinne Kentor, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Laura Myers, CUNY K-16 Initiatives