The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2 - 25

The Help I Didn't Know I Needed

to engage in professional interactions within
their respective fields. Importantly, participants
also reported that they learned what it takes to
be successful in their chosen career as a direct
result of living around their academic peers,
and their time in the LLP provided them with
an opportunity to build career-specific résumés
and helped them make decisions about their
majors and careers. This finding contributes
to the knowledge about how LLPs contribute
to student development both in and out of the
classroom, as career development is not an area
that is discussed in current LLP literature.

IMPLICATIONS FOR
PRACTITIONERS AND
CONCLUSION
The LLP at the center of this study is an
example of an effective and long-lasting collaboration between an academic college and
housing and residential life. The success of
this LLP in terms of student retention, student
academic and social outcomes, and committed
faculty involvement demonstrates a thriving,
supportive, and effective partnership between
academic and student affairs representatives
(Inkelas, 2016). It is our hope that the thorough description of the LLP and the evidence
presented regarding student experiences can
aid other housing and residential life practitioners in the design and modification of their
own institutions' LLPs. This study also provides an example of how housing professionals can systematically collect data (for example,
through focus groups) that both inform practice and contribute to scientific literature in the
field. Further, the findings in this study provide
practitioners with evidence that supports the
creation of living-learning programs in on-

campus housing. These communities can
and should be excellent recruitment tools for
prospective students, as there is clear evidence
that such programs have a positive impact on
students. Finally, this study provides evidence
that LLP involvement can influence students'
career development-something not explored
in other LLP research to date. Practitioners
should consider this as they develop new LLPs
and rework existing ones.
As college and university officials on both
the academic and student affairs side continue
to brainstorm ideas and implement strategies,
research indicates that LLPs have to continue to
be at the forefront of successful interventions
(Lee & Harmon, 2013). As one of the participants in this study noted, this LLP has "helped
me out a lot. I honestly had no idea what was
expected of me before I came to college. Since
joining this program it's encouraged me to go
out and seek the help that I didn't really know
I needed."

REFERENCES
Adams, S. (2014). The perceived benefits of participation in living and learning communities: The
student perspective (Master's thesis). Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL. Retrieved from
http://thekeep.eiu/theses/1273
Armstrong, M. (1999). Models for faculty-student
interaction outside of the classroom: The Duke
University Faculty Associates Program. College
Student Affairs Journal, 19(1), 4.
Brandon, A., Hirt, J. B., & Cameron, T. (2008).
Where you live influences who you know: Differences in student interaction based on residence
hall design. The Journal of College and University
Student Housing, 35(2), 62-79.

V o l u m e 4 4 , No. 2 * 2 0 1 8

http://www.thekeep.eiu/theses/1273

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2