The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate gifted students’ perceptions of the effects of their early college entrance program on their development, especially peer acceptance. Participants in the National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE) program, a program designed to facilitate learning among early college entrants, completed a 64-item survey examining early entrants’ college experiences.
Findings indicated that early college entrants believed that their program positively influenced their development. Their reported positive peer acceptance, though not related to gender and socioeconomic status. This study contributes to the existing literature on early college entrants’ overall development and their peer relationships. Further studies are needed to compare early college entrants’ perceptions of peer acceptance with gifted and non-gifted peers.