چکیده (انگلیسی):

The transition from high school to college is never an easy process. New freedoms and new
independence provides for an exciting first year. There is no debate as to the importance of
starting college off well. However, juggling these new opportunities with increased academic
rigor is not an easy process. Several authors have described the importance of peer relationships
and participation in social networks as key to reducing some of the stress involved in the
transition process. Employing a phenomenological method of analysis, this study investigated the
composition of those social networks. Having an increased understanding of who comprises these
groups provides higher education administrators with more opportunities to alleviate transition
difficulty. This study combines interviews and observations, conducted in various campus
locations, to identify potential phenomena within these student relationships. Unique occurrences
are presented in text, as well as graphic representation when possible.