Of all college admission criteria, scores on nationally normed tests like the SAT and ACT are most affected by the socioeconomic background of the student. The effect of socioeconomic background on test scores has grown substantially at University of California over the past two decades, and tests have become more of a barrier to admission of…

The popularity of first-year experience programs, freshman interest groups, and freshman seminars is evidence of a growing interest on the part of administrators and faculty in what happens to students during the first year of college. Theory and research indicate that students' experiences during the first year can set the tone for the remainder…