A student engagement model is proposed to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the bond between student and college. The model focuses on a student's motivation for attending college, the tension that derives from conflicting motivations, and the social context of the student-college bond. The validity of the model was examined in a study that tracked 40% of the freshman classes of 1984 and 1985 at the University of Massachusetts through their first year of college. The Student Information Form (SIF) survey was used to obtain data about the entering students. The SIF data provided only limited support for the engagement model. However, the study was able to establish differing engagement orientations and their associations with students' expectations for college and with their longer-term goals. Data are provided in 10 tables. Contains 41 references. (KM)