Why Do Some Community College Students Use Institutional Resources Differently Than Others in Program Selection and Planning?

A growing number of institutions undertaking “guided pathways” reforms are rethinking how students select programs of study, choose courses, and make other program-related choices. The City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) has been undertaking a guided pathways reform effort for several years. Based largely on student interviews, this paper describes how degree-seeking students at CCC make choices about their programs in their first year of enrollment, focusing especially on how they interact with advisors and how they use college-based resources in program selection and program planning.