Abstract
Freshmen attrition is a growing problem for many universities, and engagement programs are the solution to which many universities are turning. Research has provided evidence that mentoring decreases attrition and increases student satisfaction and retention. This study was designed to increase college freshmen’s feelings of Connection to College, Future Orientation, Grit, Academic Orientation and Leadership Interest in through mentoring. Surveys assessing the study variables were distributed at weeks 1, 7 and 15. The population was sampled from a one-semester lower level psychology class in which four learning assistants acted as discussion section leaders and mentors. The class of 102 was divided in half and participants were matched for ethnicity, completed credits, and GPA. Students were either mentored for the first or second half of the semester. The mentoring groups met six times and included three intervention activities. Data from the students who were mentored during the first half of the semester will be used to determine the intervention efficacy. I hypothesize that students who reported being positively engaged in mentoring sections will show a greater increase in the study variables than those who felt they experienced poor mentoring.
