Effects on Students’ Holistic Development Through a Comprehensive Second-Year Program

Abstract

Though many institutions provide robust first-year experience programs to help students adjust to college life, similar programs designed for second-year students are generally limited or nonexistent. As a result, second-year students often face unique stressors and developmental milestones with diminished institutional support. This study describes how a comprehensive second-year program at one university contributes to second-year students’ holistic development: namely, their sense of belonging, perseverance, and self-efficacy. From these results, we provide implications for practitioners.

Keywords

• second-year students
• second-year programs
• student development
• sophomores