Dimensions of expectations: How it breaks freshman myth

Abstract

First-year college students often arrive with unrealistic academic and engagement expectations that typically result in many of their expectations going unmet. This phenomenon is referred to as freshman myth. Due to the gap between the expected and actual engagement, investigations about their association at the average level may conceal the true relationship. In the current study, we used longitudinal student survey data from a national sample to explore how the variation in expectations influences the association of the expected and actual engagement of first-year college students. The results revealed that, at the same expectation level, entering college students who had more varied expectations were more likely to fulfill their expected engagement in the first academic year. An institution's environment did not show significant mediation on the association of expected and actual engagement.