Missed Messages and Motivated Students: Examining the Summer Before College

• In Event: 25.067 - Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: 25.067-8 - Knowing What You Don't: Information, Expectations, and Communication in College-Going

Abstract

The summer before college is a critical moment in students’ college success. This qualitative case study of 57 low-income, first-generation Latino/a students, demonstrates that students who need the most have the least in terms of support. The findings further support the need for high schools to consider their job extending beyond graduation and/or institutions of higher education to provide more support for prospective students before their fall semester. This study adds to the burgeoning literature concerning Summer Melt with qualitative data about how under-resourced students spend their summers before college.

Authors

• Antar Akari Tichavakunda, University of Southern California

• Carlos A Galan, University of California - Riverside