Sense of community on an urban, commuter campus

Abstract

As youth make the transition into adulthood, many are choosing to extend their education and delay the stereotypical institutions of adult life. At the same time, in the United States an increasing number of college students reside in off-campus housing. Research suggests that these students may be less likely to persist in their education and more likely to suffer from a lack of well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, self-efficacy). One explanation for these challenges is the difficulty that commuter students may have to build relationships and access services on traditional college campuses. Collegiate sense of community (CSOC) has been proposed as a key metric for predicting student persistence and well-being. This mixed-methods study identifies how students on an urban, commuter campus develop CSOC, describes barriers to connecting on campus, and demonstrates significant relationships between CSOC, student affect, life satisfaction, and educational expectations. The results have broad implications for youth development and retention in post-secondary educational institutions.