This course will provide a supportive environment in which you can share your successes and your frustrations, get to know others who are beginning college, develop a lasting relationship with your instructor and some other students, and begin to think about your plans for life after college.

As college professors, researchers, and administrators with many years of experience working with first-year students, we’re well aware that starting college can be challenging. We also know that if you apply the ideas in this book to your everyday life, you are likely to enjoy your time in college, graduate, and achieve your life goals. To begin, in this first chapter we’ll discuss how you fit into the whole idea of college. We’ll consider why the United States has more colleges and universities than any other country in the world. We’ll also help you explore the purposes of college—many that your college might define for you—and set goals for your college experience. Even more important is that we’ll help you define your purposes for being here and offer many strategies to help you succeed.