Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory

Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014

Formal Self-Analysis Paper

In order for individuals to evaluate themselves they must first have a basis of
measurement to adhere to so it can be a true assessment of ones self. In order to see
improvement or development, one much first understand what development means. In my
informal self-analysis paper I defined development as the progression of an individual as they
find their purpose and passion in life; the natural growth and maturation process which equips an
individual on how to handle happiness, sadness, anger, disappointment, and all other facets of
life. As a misguided college student, being fully aware of your development in college can be
difficult to do. However, when made aware of what things you should have learned,
accomplished, and the progress that should take place makes it a little easier to do so.
As a second year graduate student and completing the College Student Development
Theory course this semester, perspective was given to me on what areas I should have developed
in while in college. Of all the many lessons I learned in college, after reading and understanding
different theories about student development it allows you to place yourself in each model and
see how much you have developed from your first day entering college until you are a
professional on your job. Depending on specific theories studied this year, I can easily look back
and see where I started and where I am today. Any human being would like to imagine they
progressed through all of the stages blissfully, but in reality students go back and forth as they
struggle with identity, peer pressure, and the overall adaptation of the college life.
In my opinion, Chickering and Reissers Seven Vectors of Identity Development can be
applied to every college student because no one walks into college and knows everything there is
to know about college. Some students may be more prepared for college, but they still will learn
new things about themselves while they are in college. As the vectors pertain to my college

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014
experience, I feel like I started college on the third vector Moving through Autonomy toward
Interdependence. The reason I say this is because my parents helped me develop competence
in all of the areas mentioned in that vector and also stressed the importance of managing my
emotions. However, I had to learn how to depend on others who were not my family, or parents
in particular. I had the ability to build relationships with people easy because of my personality,
but with those relationships I never looked at those people as if I would need them to depend on
them for anything. One specific example I can think of is the unique relationship I had to form
with the resident assistants living on my floor. Chris and Tyler were older students who knew
more about the campus than I did and if I had any questions I would be able to go to them and
ask for help. This relationship with Chris and Tyler showed me the importance of
interdependence and how I would need others help regardless of how much I thought I knew. In
the moment I did not look at it this way, but thinking back this story makes sense.
The next vector that had to be fulfilled was my ability to Develop mature
Interpersonal Relationships. Dr. Samuel T. Miller served as the Vice President for Student
Affairs at my undergraduate university and I met him playing racquetball as a freshman. At the
time I did not know what his position was and what authority he may have had, but I was able to
build a positive working relationship with him which ultimately turned into a mentorship. In this
mentorship and relationship I was able to ask questions about college and also develop myself as
a good student leader on campus by conversing with Dr. Miller. Taking time to talk to Dr. Miller
helped me develop a sense of self and also help me answer some questions about my life after
college. This relationship with Dr. Miller helped me in two main areas of my life. This
relationship introduced me to Student Affairs and also erased any fear or hesitation I probably
otherwise would have suffered from when it came to talking to an administrator of his caliber.

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014
Establishing Identity is one of the more difficult things to do for college freshman or
any college student in my opinion. I didnt struggle with this vector too long, but as I stated in
my informal analysis, I knew I wanted to establish myself as somebody no one on that campus
would forget. Every college freshman is looking for something that can define them, separate
them from others, but also be accepted by others. The silly things freshman students do are done
because they are looking for some type of identity.
I remember my freshman year of college my cousin was the SGA president and the
President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Everyone knew him and everyone was always
trying to be around him. Everyone called him by his nickname Buddy Lee. He told me to tell
everyone I met that I was Buddy Lees little cousin and I would be taken care of. My identity
was found in my older cousin who had already made a name for himself.
Like many freshman, I wanted to make a name for myself outside of my relation to my
cousin so I turned to flag football. I told myself that after the football season everyone would
know who Tony Miller, Jr. is and I would be set the next three years of college. Flag football
season came and I accomplished what I wanted to do and everyone took notice of who I was and
although I was still known as my Buddy Lees little cousin, people knew who I was by my
name. My freshman year allowed me to learn more about identity and see the importance of it.
Although it was not a life and death situation, I still learned a valuable lesson about how
important identity is to college freshman and what it means to have one. After this miniscule
identity was created I went on to create an even bigger and much more important identity for
myself. After my freshman year I became a resident assistant the next two years and a hall
director as a senior. I became a Senator in the Student Government Association (SGA) as a
sophomore and would go on to serve two terms as the SGA president before I graduated. I also

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014
served as the president of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) for two years as
well. My identity on the campus was set in stone and I was very proud of the standard I had set
for myself.
Along with establishing identity, Developing Purpose is another tough vector to
venture through for college students. Finding your purpose may be even tougher than creating
an identity. A student can create a positive or negative identity rather quickly, but knowing ones
purpose is very difficult for some students. I was able to find my purpose while working as a
resident assistant and serving as the president of SAAB. I have always had a passion for helping
people and these avenues allowed me to do so. In many of my conversations with Dr. Miller, I
found myself talking about how I could help African American college males succeed in college.
I soon came to the reality that my purpose was to help students navigate through college and
more specifically serve as a buffer and mentor for African American male college students.
Being an African American college student myself, I know what trials and temptations most of
these students are faced with. I wanted to serve as an example and ray of hope that they can do it
too.
As it pertains to the last vector Developing Integrity, I think my parents took care of
this for me too. My parents taught me right from wrong and I have always held true to those
morals and values even until this day. However, what I learned about developing integrity in
college was humanizing values, personalizing values, and developing congruence overlap. I was
able to add things to my value system and then even disagree with my parents on some things
they taught me because they perspective and experience was a lot different than mine. I was able
to travel through this theory pretty smooth, but if I were to look at others, I probably would sway
back and forth like many students do during their college career.

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014
Another theory I would like to look at as it relates to my development is the Kolb Theory
of Experiential Learning. Kolbs Theory of Experiential Learning can be applied to anyone
going into a new situation not just college student development. This theory has a four stage
cycle of learning styles and as I look back I am able to see where I fit in currently.
While studying this theory in particular, the breakdown of this theory really stood out to
me because it dealt with my learning style, but had multiple parts which all worked together to
give you the answers about yourself. The main parts of this theory are the four stages which are:
concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active
experimentation. The definition or the meaning of each stage is why I say this theory can be
applied to anyone going into a new situation because if you start a new job the person is unbiased
as to how they feel about it, but after they talk to current employees and coworkers their idea of
the job may change in a positive manner or a negative manner, but now they are thinking about
how they will approach the job in the future. And finally they start to implement their plan of
action in which they think will work best for them and make them productive as possible.
The two continuums are what I want to focus this section of the paper on. The two
continuums are called Processing and Perception. By involving these continuums, they help go
along with the development of the learning style a person falls into. The continuum looks like
this in the book,

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014
but looks like this when the continuums are added which make it easier to place yourself in a
certain style.

As I reviewed the continuums, I found it hard to put myself into one category of learning. But of
all of the categories I would best fit the Accommodating style. I have noticed I do a lot of thing
based on how I feel and I get a better understanding of what Im doing by getting active in the
activity and thinking on the fly and adding on new ideas as the job moves forward. However, I
have learned that thinking things through are more effective at times depending on how
important the project is or the decision will be.
Theories are only theories, but in many cases students fall into these different cycles,
levels, vectors, or stages. None of the student developmental theories are perfect or always right
about each student, but I believe it gives Student Affairs professionals a guideline on how to
work with their students in ways that can help them and the student. College is all about
development and I think assignments like this can be implemented in Student Affairs just not as a
paper, but a part of student meetings with their mentors or even advisors who can help those
students who really care about their development keep track of how they are progressing.

Tony Miller, Jr.

College Student Development Theory
Formal Self-Analysis Paper
Dr. Wilson
December 1, 2014

References
Evans, N. J. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.