Transition to College – The JED Foundation

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) is a national longitudinal study of the American higher education system. It is regarded as the most comprehensive source of information on college students. Established in 1966 at the American Council on Education, the CIRP is now the nation’s largest and oldest empirical study of higher education, involving data on some 1,900 institutions, over 15 million students, and more than 300,000 faculty. CIRP surveys have been administered by the Higher Education Research Institute since 1973. The CIRP longitudinal program consists of the Freshman Survey (TFS) , Your First College Year (YFCY) Survey, Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE), and the College Senior Survey (CSS).

Click here to access the HERI website.
Click here to access HERI infographics, including statistics from The Freshman Survey.

Empathy and well-being correlate with centrality in different social networks

Posted on October 17, 2018March 17, 2021 by JED Campus Learning Community

“Which traits make individuals popular or lead others to turn to them in times of stress? We examine these questions by observing newly formed social networks in first-year college dormitories. We measured dorm members’ traits (for example, their empathy) as well as their position in their dorm’s social networks. Via network analysis, we corroborate insights from psychological research: people who exude positive emotions are sought out by others for fun and excitement, whereas empathic individuals are sought out for trust and support. These findings show that individuals’ traits are related to their network positions and to the different roles that they play in supporting their communities.”

Click here to access the full article through PNAS.

The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2016

Posted on October 17, 2018March 17, 2021 by JED Campus Learning Community

Polarized politics, mental health concerns, and increased institutional efforts to confront and prevent campus sexual assault represent some of the heated national topics that colleges and universities helped us measure in 2016. With its findings from the 2016 Freshman Survey and other national datasets, the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) provided campus leaders, policymakers, Supreme Court justices, and the general public with critical insights about how these debates have affected and are perceived by today’s college students.

Click here to view the full report.

Set To Go [JED]

Posted on September 27, 2018January 25, 2021 by JED Campus Learning Community

Set To Go is a JED Program focused on supporting the transition from high school to college and adulthood. For educators and college professionals, Set To Go provides tools and information for college choice and fit, the development of students’ emotional and life skills, and essential health information for success during the college transition.

Below are some key resources from the Set To Go website that you can use in your efforts to support college transition for your students:

Right Fit Worksheet for prospective students
Starting the Conversation Guide (including parental notification information & waivers) for students and parents:
Adaptable Transition of Care Guide for creating a customized resource for your school to transition students’ mental healthcare from high school to college
- Click here to view and download the original Transition of Care Guide for students and parents of students with mental health history
- Click here to view an example of the Transition of Care Guide customized by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Additionally, JED co-developed a special report with WebMD called Preparing For College: The Mental Health Gap that can be shared with parents of students.

For more information, click here to view the “For Educators” page on the Set To Go website.

Sample medical history forms

Posted on January 8, 2018February 23, 2022 by JED Campus Learning Community

Proactively requesting medical history information inclusive of mental health and substance use can help early identification of students at risk and allow the school to provide information about mental health resources on campus, aiding the transition to college. JED Campus suggests specifically asking if students have mental health or substance use histories and if they are currently receiving treatment for either issue. Below are example medical history forms that you are welcome to use as examples when developing or updating your own.

JED Recommendations: Transition to College

Posted on January 1, 2018August 4, 2020 by JED Campus Learning Community

IDENTIFY STUDENTS AT RISK:
TRANSITION TO COLLEGE

Schools can play an important role for incoming students with mental health and substance abuse histories and support them in their transition to college.
This is one of three major objectives in the Identify Students at Risk Domain.
Under this objective, schools may take the following action steps:

Request all new incoming and transfer students submit a comprehensive medical history form including mental health and substance use history.
Direct message incoming students who self-identify with mental health and/or substance use histories about services and resources on campus prior to arrival.
Educate families and support networks of incoming students regarding mental health and substance use resources and services on campus.

THIS CONTENT CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE JED CAMPUS PLAYBOOK GUIDE.
To view all playbook resources related to Transition to College, click here.

IDENTIFY STUDENTS AT RISK: TRANSITION TO COLLEGE

IDENTIFY STUDENTS AT RISK:
TRANSITION TO COLLEGE