Viewing persistence in college as a function of the harmony between the student and the institutional environmen4 this study was designed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of incoming African-American first-year students enrolled at a predominantly White urban college during the fall of 1989. A second major component of this study was the comparison of the attrition rates of these 1989 African-American students with their 1984 counterparts. The findings show that despite the initial favorable perceptions and attitudes held about their campus, many of these students did not experience a positive first year. Comparisons of the attrition rates of the 1984 and 1989 African-American first-year classes indicate that the attrition rates have only marginally declined. Success within supportive programs varied according to gender and age.
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