The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2 - 23

The Help I Didn't Know I Needed

Another student agreed, noting that while
those in the FIT program were students in the
same college and had a lot in common, they
also had some differences.
[Being in FIT] forces us to all be together . . .
so when we go out in the real world we
already have that first experience of just how
to interact with people that you may not like
or get along with. It gives you a professional
perspective on how you need to treat people.
Being part of the FIT program was also
helpful for students' career exploration because
it allowed them to informally explore the
majors they were considering by talking with
other students pursuing the same career path.
For example, by being around other students in
his major, one student realized that this was a
profession he didn't really want to be in.
I showed up here thinking I was gonna breeze
through college and become a veterinarian. . . .
And then I got here and [realized] being a vet
is hard. I haven't switched majors yet, but I'm
going to pretty quick because I realized that's
a career that you gotta be pretty intense about
and really wanna do it. I realized there's
people in this [residence hall] that really
want to do it and they're passionate about it
and they work hard at it, and I realized from
seeing them that I'm not like them, and it
probably wasn't going to be a good idea to try
to do something that I wasn't all about.
Other students agreed. One noted that being
around other students pursuing the same field
of study made him get a better idea of what
it takes to achieve his goals: "I am not thinking about changing my career option or what
I want to be, but [living in FIT has helped] me
to rethink things and it's given me a different
perspective." Thus, while FIT participants are

required to attend events each semester that
are designed to help develop professional skills
and explore new career opportunities, it is clear
that simply living in the same hall as other students with similar majors and career goals was
in itself an important learning experience.

DISCUSSION
This study focused on assessing the effectiveness of an LLP in increasing student retention
at a Midwestern university and understanding
how the LLP influenced students personally,
professionally, and academically. Results show
that students who participated in the program
had higher retention rates than did students in
the college and university as a whole who did
not participate in the program, a finding supported by other research on LLPs (Hobbins,
Eisenbach, Jacobs, & Ritchie, 2017; Lenning
& Ebbers, 1999; Stassen, 2003). Results also
supported previous research concluding that
participating in an LLP has a positive influence on students' personal growth and development (Stassen, 2003), especially with regard

The success of this LLP in terms
of student retention, student
academic and social outcomes,
and committed faculty involvement
demonstrates a thriving, supportive,
and effective partnership between
academic and student affairs
representatives .

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2