Belonging Uncertainty in the Transition to College

Feelings of belonging in college are foundational to student success and are grounded in perceptions that one fits in and is a valued campus community member (Asher & Weeks, 2014). An insidious challenge that many students face—especially in times of transition, challenge, or difficulty—are persistent worries or concerns about whether they truly belong and can succeed in college. Almost all students experience belonging uncertainty, and students from groups that have been marginalized and are underserved in US higher education are particularly apt to experience belonging uncertainty due, at least in part, to their awareness of negative stereotypes and cultural stigma concerning their groups.

Effectively alleviating concerns about belonging has been shown to have cascading positive effects in terms of help-seeking, relationship development, and even better health (Walton & Cohen, 2011), as well as longer-term effects on career satisfaction and success, psychological well-being, and community involvement and leadership after college (Brady et al., 2020). Fortunately, a significant body of research has identified simple strategies that people who work with students can use to craft effective messages to help counter and alleviate belonging uncertainty (see, for example, Walton et al., 2015, 2023). Psychological scientist Mary Murphy and her colleagues have developed practice-focused guides to crafting effective belonging messages (and a variety of other evidence-based practices to promote educational equity), which are available online through the Student Experience Project and Equity Accelerator. According to this research, messages that effectively alleviate students’ concerns about belonging have three key components, communicating:

• that concerns about belonging are a normal part of the college experience and that many students question their belonging during times of transition, difficulty, or challenge (the key strategy here is to acknowledge and validate, rather than dismiss, feelings of belonging uncertainty);
   
• that questioning your belonging does NOT signal a lack of fit in college or a lack of potential to succeed;
   
• that these concerns lessen over time when students take steps to reach out, ask for help, and connect with others and the broader campus community.

As professionals who work with students in a variety of capacities, sharing your own stories (including communicating a related challenge, how it got better over time, and what you did to help improve it) can be a big help for students. Hearing from more senior students who have recently dealt with similar challenges is also a powerful tool for alleviating belonging uncertainty.