Ecological congruence and adaptation of minority youth during the transition to college

To explore the notions of ecological congruence and person‐environment fit, the present work examined the relationships among personal and family background characteristics and adjustment following the transition to college. Of particular concern were the ways in which a student's race, prior interracial experience, and the predominant racial characteristics of the college setting being entered relate to adaptive outcomes. The sample consisted of 188 college freshmen attending two universities: one, a traditionally and predominantly White university and the other, a traditionally and predominantly African‐American university. Assessments were conducted of students' family background characteristics, prior interracial experience, and adjustment to college. No relationship was found between prior interracial experience and adjustment for White students. For African‐American students attending the predominantly Black university, less prior exposure to Whites and greater enmeshment in the African‐American community was associated with better adjustment to college. By contrast, for those African‐American students attending the predominantly White university, greater amounts of prior interracial experience were associated with better adjustment to college. The findings support the hypothesized importance of person‐environment fit and experiential congruence for freshmen entering the college environment.