Development and application of a measure of students' college experiences

Abstract

Describes the College Experience Inventory (CEI), developed by the authors to assess student experiences during college. The CEI was administered to 743 university seniors at the end of their college careers. Analyses of the Ss' responses resulted in 12 CEI factors that were found to be significantly related to life-history data collected 4 yrs prior to the administration of the CEI. Subgroups of Ss based on life history were meaningfully differentiated by the CEI. Longitudinal patterns of experiences (paths) followed by Ss through their 4 yrs of college could be identified. Ss who selected one path to the exclusion of others were found to differ on selected academic criteria. Results indicate that the CEI has potential for use in student counseling and university placement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)