Community college students who experience academic difficulty as measured by grade point average were compared to students not in academic difficulty on five constructs: reading ability, career decisiveness, learning styles, study habits and attitudes, and motivational factors. The 19 students in academic difficulty and 31 students not in academic difficulty completed the following instruments: the Diagnostic Test for Language Skills, the Career Decision Scale, the Learning Styles Inventory, the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, and the Personality Research Form. A locally-developed interview consisting of 28 forced-choice and open-ended questions was also used to gain anecdotal data of the same measures included in the five standardized instruments. The interview also addressed other variables that related to Rockland Community College, including enrollment influences, academic aspirations, use of student services, method of academic advisement, satisfaction with the chosen curriculum, and overall satisfaction with the college. It was found that academic difficulty was most closely associated with reading comprehension skills, expectations for academic success, and study habits and attitudes. In addition to four recommendations for colleges, implementation plans in progress at Rockland Community College are identified. (SW)