When Engagement Does Not Equal Adjustment
One afternoon during the early weeks of the spring 2026 semester, I found myself in conversation with a first-year international student who was part of a Living Learning Community within their residence hall and had recently begun their college journey in the United States. From the outside, the student appeared to be adjusting well. They attended programs, participated in community events, and regularly spent time in shared community spaces. However, during our conversation, the student shared that while these experiences helped them become involved and meet people, they were still trying to make sense of the transition.
The student described the transition to college as both exciting and emotionally overwhelming. While Living Learning Community programs helped them learn about campus resources and meet other students, they continued to navigate the challenges of being far from home, adjusting to a new academic system, and building relationships in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The conversation reinforced an important reality for many first-year international students: visible participation does not always mean emotional connection or a sense of belonging.
Living Learning Communities are widely recognized as a high-impact educational practice that supports student engagement, academic success, and persistence (Inkelas & Soldner, 2011; Kuh, 2008). These communities are designed to integrate students’ academic and residential experiences, promote peer interaction, and create supportive learning environments within residence halls. However, participation in programming does not always address the emotional challenges students experience during their transition to college. This reality can be particularly significant for first-year international students, who often navigate additional layers of adjustment, including cultural transition, homesickness, language barriers, and unfamiliar academic expectations.
Recent scholarship on Living Learning Communities has emphasized that effective programs move beyond simply offering events and instead focus on creating environments that support students’ academic transition, identity development, and sense of belonging (Inkelas et al., 2023). Emerging research also highlights that Living Learning Communities are most effective when they intentionally address both academic and social adjustment, particularly for students who may experience additional transition stress, such as first-year international students (Brower & Inkelas, 2024). This suggests that the success of Living Learning Communities should not be measured only by program attendance, but also by how well these communities support students’ emotional adjustment and sense of belonging during their transition to college.
For residential life professionals, this raises an important question: If Living Learning Communities are designed to support holistic student development, are we placing too much emphasis on programming and not enough attention on the emotional realities first-year international students face during their transition to college? While many Living Learning Communities successfully create opportunities for involvement, less attention has been given to how students’ emotional experiences before and during arrival influence whether they choose to engage in the first place.
Understanding first-year international students’ pre-arrival stress and emotional transition is critical to understanding their engagement in Living Learning Communities. By rethinking engagement beyond attendance and considering the emotional experiences students bring with them to campus, residential life professionals can design Living Learning Communities that more effectively support both student development and student belonging during the critical first semester of college.
The Promise of Living Learning Communities
Living-learning communities have become a widely adopted model for enhancing student success in higher education. These communities group students with shared academic interests within residential environments and create opportunities for faculty interaction, collaborative learning, and peer engagement. Research shows that students who participate in Living Learning Communities often report stronger academic engagement, increased faculty interaction, and higher satisfaction with their college experience (Inkelas & Soldner, 2011). For first-year international students, these structured environments can provide important points of connection in an unfamiliar academic and social setting.
The design of Living Learning Communities is rooted in the idea that learning extends beyond the classroom. By integrating academic and residential experiences, institutions create environments where students can discuss course content, explore ideas with peers, and develop intellectual curiosity within their living spaces. To achieve these outcomes, many institutions rely heavily on programming such as workshops, faculty dinners, academic support events, and social activities intended to foster connection. However, for first-year international students, participation in these programs may be influenced by cultural adjustment, language confidence, and emotional readiness to engage. While programs create opportunities for engagement, the emphasis on programming can narrow how community development is understood. Engagement is often measured through attendance and participation metrics, which may not capture the relational and emotional dimensions of students’ experiences. For first-year international students, attendance alone may not reflect meaningful engagement or a true sense of belonging.
The Emotional Reality of the First Year
The transition to college is one of the most significant developmental changes many students experience. Emerging adulthood is characterized by identity exploration, increased independence, and uncertainty about the future (Arnett, 2000). Students entering college must adapt to new academic expectations, navigate unfamiliar social environments, and develop new support systems. For first-year international students, this transition often involves not only developmental change, but also cultural transition, educational system differences, and geographic separation from familiar support networks, making the adjustment process more complex.
For many students, these adjustments create emotional stress during the first year of college. Students often experience anxiety about academic performance, uncertainty about their sense of belonging, and pressure to establish social connections in an unfamiliar environment (Maymon & Hall, 2021). International students may face additional challenges during this transition, including cultural adaptation, language differences, financial pressure, and separation from family support systems. These factors can intensify feelings of loneliness, stress, and uncertainty during the first semester. As a result, first-year international students may be physically present in campus spaces while still experiencing emotional distance from their campus community.
Residence halls often become the primary environment where students process these challenges. Conversations with peers, interactions with residential staff, and everyday experiences within the community influence students’ sense of belonging and emotional well-being. Tinto’s (1993) theory of student persistence emphasizes that students are more likely to remain enrolled when they develop meaningful social and academic connections within the institution. Residential communities therefore play a critical role in shaping students’ adjustment to college life. For first-year international students in particular, the residence hall is often the first place where they attempt to build community, form friendships, and make sense of their new environment, making the residential experience especially influential in their transition.
However, emotional adjustment is not always explicitly addressed within Living Learning Community programming. Students may attend events and participate in community activities while still struggling internally with feelings of isolation, uncertainty, or self-doubt. For first-year international students, who may feel pressure to appear as though they are adjusting well, these internal challenges may remain invisible to residential staff, even when students are actively participating in programs and activities.
International Students and Emotional Transition in Living-Learning Communities
For international students, the emotional transition to college can be particularly complex. In addition to the academic and social adjustments that many first-year students experience, international students often navigate cultural adaptation, language differences, and geographic distance from family support systems. These challenges can intensify the emotional demands of the transition to university life. International students may also encounter unfamiliar cultural norms and communication styles that shape their interactions with peers and faculty. For example, differences in classroom participation styles or language confidence can make speaking in class or joining social conversations feel intimidating, sometimes leading to feelings of exclusion. Living in residence halls and participating in Living Learning Communities can provide opportunities for connection, but these environments may also highlight feelings of difference or isolation as students adjust to a new cultural setting. Homesickness is one of the most reported emotional challenges among international students during their first semester (Maymon & Hall, 2021). My professional experiences with first-year international students living in Living Learning Communities have similarly reinforced that participation in events does not always eliminate feelings of isolation or disconnection.
Living-learning communities therefore support transition not only through programming but through everyday interactions, peer relationships, and informal support systems within the residential environment.
The Invisible Work of Emotional Support
Within residential environments, some of the most meaningful support students receive occurs outside formal programming. Residential staff, peer mentors, and resident assistants frequently engage in conversations with students who are navigating academic stress, homesickness, or personal uncertainty. These conversations may occur after community meetings, during informal check-ins, or in shared spaces where students feel comfortable discussing their experiences. While these interactions rarely appear in institutional reports or programming assessments, they often represent the most impactful moments of student support.
Research on student well-being highlights the importance of perceived social support in reducing stress and improving adjustment among college students (McLean et al., 2021). When students feel that someone within their residential environment understands their experiences and is willing to listen, they are more likely to develop resilience and confidence during their transition to college. Recognizing the importance of emotional support requires institutions to reconsider how engagement within Living Learning Communities is defined and measured. Supporting students emotionally is not incidental to residential life; it is a central component of student development.
The Emotional Curriculum of Living Learning Communities
Although Living Learning Communities are designed to complement the academic curriculum through co-curricular programming, they also serve as environments where students encounter what may be described as an emotional curriculum. Unlike formal academic learning, the emotional curriculum of residential life emerges through students’ everyday experiences as they navigate independence, identity exploration, uncertainty, and personal growth. For many first-year students, the transition to college represents their first sustained experience away from familiar support systems, requiring them to manage time independently, develop new relationships, and adapt to new academic expectations. These challenges often produce moments of doubt, anxiety, and vulnerability. Within residential environments, students learn not only how to succeed academically but also how to cope with emotional uncertainty and develop resilience. Living Learning Communities therefore function as spaces where emotional learning occurs alongside intellectual development through peer conversations, mentorship, and everyday interactions. These experiences may not appear on programming calendars, yet they represent meaningful forms of learning within residential communities.
Relationships as the Core of Community: While programs may introduce students to their community, relationships sustain that community over time. Peer relationships within residence halls contribute to students’ sense of belonging and engagement (Bronkema & Bowman, 2017). Programs create opportunities for connection, but meaningful relationships often develop through informal conversations and shared experiences, which are critical to students’ sense of belonging during the first year.
The Role of Residential Educators in Supporting Emotional Adjustment
Residential educators occupy a unique position within the university environment because they interact with students in spaces where academic and personal experiences intersect. Graduate assistants, resident assistants, peer mentors, and professional residence life staff often serve as the first individuals who recognize when students are struggling with the emotional challenges of the college transition. Unlike faculty interactions that occur primarily within the classroom, residential life interactions often take place in informal settings where students feel more comfortable discussing personal concerns. Conversations in residence hall lounges, after meetings, or during casual check-ins provide opportunities for residential educators to support students in meaningful ways. These interactions require residential educators to balance multiple roles as mentors, facilitators of community engagement, and sources of emotional support while maintaining professional boundaries. The ability to listen actively, respond with empathy, and connect students to campus resources is an essential component of residential education practice.
Research on student success continues to highlight the importance of supportive campus relationships and students’ sense of belonging in shaping academic persistence and personal development (Strayhorn, 2019; Gopalan & Brady, 2020; Maymon & Hall, 2021). Within residential environments, these supportive relationships often develop through interactions with residential staff who are accessible to students during moments of uncertainty. Recognizing the role of residential educators in emotional support requires institutions to value relational work alongside programming responsibilities. By acknowledging this relational dimension of residential life, institutions can strengthen the impact of living-learning communities as environments that support both academic success and personal growth.
Moving Beyond Programming: Practical Strategies
To move beyond programming as the primary measure of engagement, Living Learning Communities must intentionally incorporate strategies that support students’ emotional transitions. The table below outlines common challenges experienced by first-year international students, the residential staff members who are most likely to address these challenges, and the ways in which these interactions contribute to what this article conceptualizes as the emotional curriculum of Living Learning Communities.
| Emotional Challenge (International Students) | Staff Member to Address Issue | Strategies to Address Issue | Potential Emotional Outcome | Potential Implications for Engagement |
| Homesickness | RA / APM | Peer support circles, community dinners, cultural sharing events | May strengthen emotional support | May strengthen belonging and participation |
| Cultural adjustment | APM / LLC Faculty | Transition discussions, cultural adjustment workshops | May strengthen feelings of inclusion | May support classroom and community engagement |
| Language confidence | APM | Small group discussions, study groups | May increase confidence in communication | May support participation in programs and academics |
| Social isolation | RA/APM | Intentional small group activities, mentor check-ins | May support the development of friendships | May strengthen community connection |
| Academic anxiety | Faculty/Tutor/APM
|
Academic skill workshops, study sessions | May reduce anxiety and increase confidence | May support academic engagement |
| Fear of asking for help | All LLC Staff
|
Normalize help-seeking, resource education | May build trust
|
May encourage use of campus resources |
| Emotional stress | Professional staff/counseling | Wellness workshops, stress management | May strengthen emotional coping skills | May support sustained engagement |
As shown in the table, many of the most impactful learning experiences within Living Learning Communities occur through everyday interactions rather than formal programs. These interactions may support students’ confidence, belonging, resilience, and help-seeking behaviors, which are critical components of student success but are often not captured through traditional engagement metrics.
Conclusion
Living-learning communities remain one of the most promising models for integrating academic and residential life in higher education. However, their effectiveness depends not only on the programs they offer but also on the relationships they cultivate. Students entering college navigate complex emotional transitions as they adapt to new academic and social environments. While programming can introduce students to their community, meaningful support often emerges through relationships, mentorship, and everyday interactions. By intentionally prioritizing emotional support alongside programming, Living Learning Communities can create environments where students feel both academically engaged and personally supported. In doing so, residential life professionals can ensure that these communities fulfill their promise as spaces where students not only learn but also grow.
Reflection Questions
- How do Living Learning Communities on your campus define and measure student engagement, and in what ways does this emphasis include or overlook the emotional challenges international students experience during their transition to college?
- What role can residential educators, including resident assistants, peer mentors, and graduate assistants, play in recognizing and supporting the emotional adjustment of first-year international students within Living Learning Communities?
- How might Living Learning Communities be intentionally designed to support both academic engagement and emotional well-being, particularly for students navigating additional transitions such as cultural adjustment or studying far from home?
Author Biography
Jacob Mensah (he/him) is a Graduate Assistant in Housing and Residence Life at Ball State University, where he works with Living Learning Communities to support first-year student transition and engagement. His developing research agenda focuses on student belonging, educational transitions, international student experiences, residential education, and the institutional conditions that shape student success. His work examines how campus environments, relationships, and support systems influence students’ engagement, belonging, persistence, and ability to navigate higher education.
References
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Maymon, R., & Hall, N. C. (2021). College students’ stress and well-being during the transition to higher education. Educational Psychology Review, 33(2), 371–399.
Living-Learning Communities That Work (2023)
Inkelas, K. K., Jessup-Anger, J. E., Benjamin, M., & Wawrzynski, M. R. (2023). Living-learning communities that work: A research-based model for design, delivery, and assessment. Stylus Publishing.
Living-Learning Communities in Practice (2024)
Brower, A. M., & Inkelas, K. K. (2024). Living-learning communities in practice. Routledge.