This course examines how college impact students. Specifically, it is designed to introduce graduate students to those pre-&-existing institutional conditions, educational practices, & campus experiences that influence student decision-making, ranging from college choice to retention. Students will learn about major theoretical perspectives explaining the formative relationship between the college environment & the student, the research informing & emerging from these perspectives, & how each can be used to inform their own processes of decision-making regarding what constitutes the effective educational policies & practices.