Undergraduate college students with identified pre-college risk are admitted into a large four-year, public research university in the Mid-West, placed into a 'provisional' category and called "provisional students." Provisional students are challenged to endure potential risk factors above and beyond the risks they bring to college. The purpose of this study was to use students' voices to capture the lived experiences of provisional college students, explore the intersection of their identities in the ability to persist, and examine what they say about how the campus environment influences their identities. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of six provisional students. Data was collected from four sources, including in-depth interviews, a journaling exercise, field observations, and the researcher's own heuristic inquiry. The data were analyzed and nine themes emerged. The themes' summation concluded that academic status mattered, relationships mattered, and race mattered. Study findings offer implications for institutional policy and practice that may serve useful to administrators, advisors, and instructors at higher education institutions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]