Institutional Context of an Adolescent Transition: Going from High School to College in the United States and Japan

The transition from high school to college occurs within an institutional context and this institutional context influences the academic transitional tasks faced by adolescents. Key characteristics of the institutional context of the transition to college in the United States were the size of higher education, the similarity among colleges in their admission applications, and the nonselectiveness of admission to most colleges. Key characteristics of the institutional context of the transition from high school to college in Japan were the use of different entrance examinations by each college, the links between the prestige of a student's college and labor market opportunities, and the selectiveness of admission to many colleges.