Offers an overview of the concerns and barriers that many adult students face before enrolling in college. Reviews literature on adult students' academic concerns, social and psychological needs, and financial problems. (DMM)

Despite the growing number of older students (age 50 or over) attending two-year institutions, counseling services relevant to their needs are often overlooked. These needs are especially acute because they often stem from the disengagement of long established social roles, such as the loss of a job through retirement, the loss of loved ones…

Reviews the literature on the reasons that students drop out of college. Offers a plan for freshman retention that asks students about their goals at registration, provides them with a six-hour orientation emphasizing academic excellence, teams them with a faculty mentor, and includes a mandatory for-credit seminar on attending college. (DMM)