Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction / Thomas E. Miller -- 2. Why should we care about student expectations? / Jeffrey A. Howard -- 3. What students expect from college and what they get / George D. Kuh, Robert M. Gonyea and Julie M. Williams -- 4. When expectations and realities collide : environmental influences on student expectations and student experiences / Larry Moneta and George D. Kuh -- 5. Campus services : what do students expect? / Frank P. Ardaiolo, Barbara E. Bender and Gregory Roberts -- 6. Student expectations about paying for college : are they reasonable? / John H. Schuh and Leah Ewing Ross -- 7. Student persistence and degree attainment / Thomas E. Miller -- 8. Life after college / Susan R. Komives and Elizabeth M. Nuss -- 9. The influence of selected students; characteristics on their expectations of college / Gwendolyn J. Dungy, Patricia A. Rissmeyer and Gregory Roberts -- 10. Institutional type and students expectations / Wilma J. Henry, Penelope H. Wills and Harold L. Nixon -- 11. Expectations of multiple publics / Barbara E. Bender, John Wesley Lowery and John H. Schuh -- 12. Perspectives from the field / Thomas E. Miller and Barbara E. Bender -- 13. Conclusion / Thomas E. Miller.