In recent years, there has been a focus on the importance of general education in colleges and universities as a means of delivering a quality liberal education. Completion of a general education curriculum in the community college is required for successful completion in all associate degree programs. As more students are choosing community colleges to begin their studies, their general education experiences may affect their successful transfer to the baccalaureate, performance in the future workforce and participation as educated citizens. Unfortunately, students have described general education as "a barrier" to their major or courses to "get of the way." At the same time, research has also shown that students value college outcomes (connected to study in general education) as being important. However, most research has been inclusive of students only at baccalaureate colleges and universities. In this study, the College Student Expectations Questionnaire (CSXQ) was administered to first time students enrolled in Student Development courses at five campuses of a large suburban community college. Students expected the community college to moderately emphasize college activities that develop general education goals. They expected to participate often in college activities pertaining to Information Literacy, Communication, and Critical Thinking. They expected to occasionally participate in activities related to Cultural and Social Understanding, Quantitative Reasoning, and Scientific Reasoning. Significant differences in expected quality of effort were found based on College Opinion, Academic Major, Parents' Education, and Employment. FIRST YEAR STUDENT EXPECTATIONS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, the late Shirley Martin, Sr. and the late Anna Saunders Martin. You always encouraged me to do my best, supported my interests, and gave me the confidence that I could succeed not only in education but in life. My daughter, Anna, has been my biggest cheerleader throughout this process. I look forward to spending more time with you now that my dissertation journey is ending! I would also sincerely like to thank and acknowledge my family and friends for their support. When I needed to travel to class or conduct my research, it was a great comfort to know that she was with family and close friends that cared about her and as well as my success as a doctoral student. I would particularly like to thank: