Academic performance of transfer versus "native" students in a wildlife Bachelor of Science program.

We analyzed empirical factors that predicted academic performance of wildlife sciences majors at Auburn University who graduated during the period 1995-2000 in the required courses in the wildlife sciences curriculum (not the university core curriculum or supporting courses). Controlling for a variety of factors, we found no evidence that academic performance of native students (i.e., those entering the program as freshmen) in the required wildlife sciences curriculum exceeded that of transfer students. Rather, we found that high-school grade-point average (GPA) and Academic College Testing (ACT) or Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores were the most important predictors of future academic performance. Among transfer students, transfer GPA was a strong, positive predictor of subsequent academic performance in the required wildlife sciences curriculum. We suspect that transfer students in a wildlife sciences program are able to meet challenges associated with entering a new university setting because of small class sizes and personal relationships that often develop with faculty. Our results suggested a bifurcated strategy when recruiting students: recruitment efforts aimed at native students should focus on ACT or SAT scores and high-school GPA, while transfer students should be targeted on the basis of transfer GPA, regardless of whether they have taken the ACT or SAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]