The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1 - 191

Social Integration for Lateral Transfer Students

dence life administrators can create themed
communities for these students, housing
them together by some sort of common interest (community service, leadership, etc.). As
previous research suggests, themed communities provide common ground to facilitate integration and community building (Flaga, 2006;
Pike, 1999; Zhao & Kuh, 2004).
These environments can help lateral transfer students to meet others who are similar to
them and can share similar experiences (Astin,
1993; Bean, 2005; Schudde, 2011; Tinto, 1993).
This environment will promote that instant
community feeling that many of these students
are seeking, because they can interact with
others who are looking to make friends. Since
the roommate relationship appears to be critical in the integration process for lateral transfer students, this should be considered when
making housing and roommate decisions for
them. Similar to the longstanding process for
matching ﬁrst-year residence hall roommates,
new lateral transfer students should be given
the option to choose a roommate or participate
in a matching process (see Erb, Renshaw, Short,
& Pollard [2014] for a discussion of the importance of roommate matching for students in
transition). In the case that a transfer student
residence hall or ﬂoor cannot be created for
lateral transfer students, they could be housed
in pairs or with students who welcome the opportunity to live with a new transfer student.

LIMITATIONS
This study took place at a single institution,
and all the participants had lived on campus
at their previous institution. The ﬁndings may
have been different at other types of institutions, especially those whose population of

lateral transfer students is different (i.e., the
experience of transfer students who have not
previously lived on campus may be signiﬁcantly different). In addition, the students in
this study were almost exclusively White, and
the ﬁndings and interpretations may differ for
a more diverse group of students. When interpreting the ﬁndings and applying the recommendations for practice, these issues need to
be taken into consideration.

CONCLUSION
This study adds to the body of knowledge relating to student transfer by highlighting the
importance that living arrangements have
on a lateral transfer student's transition and
social integration. Student affairs and housing
administrators need to consider that these
students have a previous collegiate experience
that uniquely inﬂuences the way they engage
with and experience their transfer institution.
Future research on transfer students should
examine and theorize about the ways in which
previous collegiate experiences for various
types of transfer students inﬂuence their social
integration and adjustment.

REFERENCES
Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to
degree completion from high school through college.
Jessup, MD: U.S. Department of Education, ED
Pubs.
Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four
critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Barefoot, B. (2005). Current institutional practices
in the ﬁrst college year. In L. Upcraft, J. Gardner,
& B. Barefoot (Eds.), Challenging and supporting

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1