Lasting Connections: A Case Study of Relationships Formed During a First-Year Seminar Course

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Author(s): Enke, K. A. E.

Citation: Enke, K. A. E. (2011). Lasting Connections: A Case Study of Relationships Formed During a First-Year Seminar Course. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 23(1), 75-102.

 

Abstract

This article investigates the evolution of friendships formed during a first-year seminar for honors students enrolled in a private liberal arts college. Through an electronic survey and interviews with former students who had participated in the seminar course six years prior to the research, this case study examined why some friendships were maintained and others dissolved after college. While participants stressed that luck played a substantial role in placing well-matched students in a single class, they also articulated that the first-year seminar served as a powerful shared experience at a crucial time in their development. This research illustrates the first-year seminar’s potential to foster relationships among college students that persist beyond graduation.

 

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