This study investigates the development process of self-direction among students unwilling to enroll in university because of inadequate academic achievement. It focuses on unwilling enrollment as a factor contributing to the decrease in self-direction of students. Online interviews were conducted with 20 participants who were unwilling to enroll and initially lacked self-direction but developed it later. Further, a modified grounded theory approach was used to analyze the narrative data of 13 of these participants. It showed that self-direction improves when students are given an opportunity to behave spontaneously and this behavior is accepted by others. Furthermore, when students’ unwillingness to enroll is weakened by multiple factors, they realize the significance of existing in their present position. Additionally, forming relationships of trust promotes several aspects of this process. Based on these results, this study makes the following suggestions for student counselors: (1) be aware of and accept students’ developing self-direction; (2) build a relationship of trust with students or help them build such relationships with others; and (3) give students an opportunity to reflect on themselves in a space free from outside interference.

This study examined the needs of students for a newly established peer support (PS) activity at a university. An online questionnaire consisting of demographic variables, perception of PS, help-seeking intention toward PS and other support resources, degree of distress, and open-ended questions, was completed by 173 university students, primarily psychology majors. The results showed that the help-seeking intention toward PS was the second highest after friends and family. Next, analysis of the open-ended questionnaires using text mining suggested that students with low help-seeking intentions toward PS and high levels of distress had needs for support other than consultation, such as holding social events. Conversely, students with high help-seeking intentions toward PS and high levels of distress needed PS as a consultation service. These findings suggest that in higher distress levels, students’ needs for PS differed depending on their help-seeking intentions toward PS, and provide suggestions for activities that should be developed at PS in the future. Finally, expanding the survey to capture trends among college students in general is necessary.