College Graduation Rates

The article “Motivating Firs-Generation Students For Academic Success and College Completion” by Tanjula Petty describes the additional challenges first generation students have to overcome while attending college. A well-heeled diversity and world of opportunities are a few of the positive outcomes of attending college. According to Tanjula Petty (2014), “Yet, the most cited and widely used definition for first- generation students is someone whose parents has not completed a college degree”. Students whose parents did not acquire a college degree, have a lack of support at home. Their family members are not equipped to provide information required for college difficulties students may have. They lack knowledge and resources that students that students with college-educated parents have. The article states that these students are less psychologically prepared for college. Many low-income families do not understand the benefits of graduating from college. First generation students spend more time working and less time studying unlike their classmates. (Petty 2014) Coming from low-income families, many of these students have to divide their time between college and working. Leading students to prioritize money before school. Many work full time while going to school. Working more hours than studying can potentially harm students ' success.

The graph above illustrates the graduation rate of high school students among the Hispanic community. It depicts that during the early 1990’s the graduation rate among hispanics was extremely low, with only at least 61% of students graduating just from high school. It displays that students among the age of 18-24 had a low probability of graduating, and this continued between 1994 and 1996, where the percentage of high school graduates dropped below 61%.

Despite their best efforts to achieve a higher education some college students find themselves less motivated. According to a 2010 report by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, about 60% of all students entering college find themselves in need of developmental classes, whether they are in mathematics, Reading, or English. While most students accept college and the coursework with a deep sense of responsibility, students who find themselves academically unprepared have to take remedial courses, which are added burdens for them. “Thirty percent of college and university students drop out after their first year” (Bowler). Colleges have their own scoring system to determine, whether a student has to enroll in remedial courses or not.

I have chosen to compare the relationship between average life expectancy, per capita personal income, and college graduation rate by state in 2010. I intend to prove that average life expectancy by state, the dependent variable, will either positively or negatively correlate with income and college graduation rate, the independent variables. The null hypothesis (H0) for my independent variables is that there will be absolutely no relationship between income or college graduation rate and average life expectancy. On the other hand, the alternative hypothesis (Ha) for each independent variable will be that income and college graduation rate do relate to average life expectancy. As for the background of my topic, I chose to test these

This is a review of the dissertation A Comparative Study of Traditional and Nontraditional Characteristics Predicting Retention among First Time in College Students researched by C. Joseph (2015). This dissertation looks closely at the retention and completion of first time college students and their persistence to obtain their educational goals. The dissertation also looks at programs and services that support and assist students’ needs and that reduce the risk of stopping-out or dropping-out of college. Joseph’s (2015) research identifies 68% of students coming out of high school enroll into college. These students face immediate challenges of higher education and the curricular demands they encounter. Many institutions put first-time students through orientation programs in an attempt to familiarize the student with all the resources available to them, to help aid in their success. Additionally, these orientation programs usually contain team building components and activities so students have the opportunity to interact and bond with their peers. Students who develop a network of peers feel connected to an institution and utilize the resources available to them. Joseph’s (2015) research states that these students have a much higher success rate persisting through their programs of study and reaching completion.

Questions have been raised that give parents pause on whether they should allow their children to take a gap year before they begin college. This tradition is believed by some to have begun in the 1960’s but according to Andrew King’s article found in the Journal of Youth Studies, it is a throwback to “the grand tour of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries”(342). A gap year is actually a misnomer, this period can be a 1-3 years break between the end of high school and the beginning of college (King 341). In other words a gap year is a break lasting up to 3 years that a students takes before they begin their post-secondary education. Current studies show this time out is gaining in popularity. Based on data provided by G Jeffrey MacDonald’s article “College Can Wait Awhile” found in USA Today 11% of college bound students in the United Kingdom take a gap year (01D). In Australia the numbers are even higher with 29% of those receiving an offer requesting a deferral (Maslen and Tarcia 1).Evidence gathered by Sunny Niu and Marta Tienda shows that nearly 46% of undergraduates took a gap in the 1999-2000 school year this is a substantial increase from the 1/3 of students who participated in a gap in the 1995-1996 school year (1). It is evident that students need a break from the “education conveyor belt” (Krogstad 03A). This increase is definitely good for American students. Research conducted in the United States, England and Australia suggest that students who

High school GPAs, SAT scores and extra curriculum activities are all predictors of college success. However, during the first year of college, the dropout rate is almost 25% (Tuckman and Kennedy, 2011). Student attrition rates have continued to increase, which causes significant issues for colleges that rely on revenue from students to sustain viability (O’Keefe, 2013). There are various reasons why students don’t complete their first year of college or don’t return after their first year. Students get homesick, can’t acclimate to the academic challenges affiliated with college life, and feel rebuffed or discombobulated.

The biggest decisions we make before graduating from high school is applying to different colleges. When it comes to decision making where to go, will always have a huge impact on any student career and in most cases paying for the tuition. In the past year student loans have made parents and student ask themselves is the risk worth investing with all the student loan debts increasing rapidly.

According to Web site Measuring College Graduation Rates in Virginia, in 2013, almost 35 percent of students failed to earn a bachelor 's degree within six years’ time. Obviously, many students are struggling in college. Although the college is challenging, I am going to succeed by seeking helpful advice from experts, by developing useful strategies to help me attain my goals, and by recognizing the benefits of a college degree.

Colleges and universities are experiencing an increase amongst prospective students who have a desire to achieve a higher education. Alternatively, colleges and universities retention and graduation rate are declining tremendously. The lack of students success rate throughout college sole depends on the student’s early childhood education as well as the support from his or her new family. For many, attending college is understood to be the place where you begin to take the first step towards being successful and grow into who you are suppose to be in life. On the other hand, some people tend to become impatient with the four to five year waiting period it requires to complete college and start making money. In order for to increase the retention and graduation rates, educators must set the expectation for higher learn at an early age.

Thus, in most cases, the cycle within the family is repeated and the first generation children to go to college are still unsuccessful due to the lack of support from parents who are considered to be a minority within their

Although higher education institutions are aware that approximately half of all college enrollees are non-traditional students, some colleges and universities have yet to provide resources that will increase accessibility and affordability to such a delicate population (Panacci, 2015). Non-traditional students can bear one to seven characteristics: part-time enrollee, financially independent, full-time worker, enrollment delay of greater than one year past high school graduation, having dependents, single parent, or no high school diploma or GED (Kazis, R., Callahan, A., Davidson, C., McLeod, A., Bosworth, B., Choitz, V., & Hoops, J., 2007). The spectrum of non-traditional continues from minimally to highly - including minimally, fitting

For the purpose of this paper I reviewed past research articles, both qualitative and quantitative, in order to gain insight on what factors from the past decade contributed to degree attainment and college completion. In the paragraphs that follow I summarize five research articles that examine five articles dated back from 2005 to 2013 analyzing family factors along with personal student factors that played a role in student’s educational futures. The first two will examine factors starting from high school with the first being from an individual stand point and the second from the families stand point. The following three deals with factors that contributes to overall educational achievements, degree attainment and college completion.

Since the massification of higher education in the 1970s, figure shows that the participation rate in higher education in the UK has reached over 48% in 2015, i.e., around two million students will hold graduate degrees embarking onto the labour market in two years. Subsequently, queries may emerge: is the market capable of absorbing so many graduates? Will there be enough suitable jobs matching the skills these graduates possess? With what occupations do the graduate reside?

Being the first to do or achieve anything considered positive is usually welcomed with respect and honor. The first man to walk on the Moon, the first to summit Everest, even the first animal to orbit outer space, they all have their names sealed in history. Even in less ambitious intents, the case is also similar: we crown the first ranked student of a graduating class, the first to cross the 100 meters line, and more. It is therefore only intuitive to suspect a similar reaction from the parents whose child decides for the first time in the history of their family to pursue a college degree. However, that is sadly not the case. While many people have the preconception that parents of first-generation college students (FGCS) are a positive motivator in the student’s persistence through college, parents of first-generation students are instead, in many cases, not understanding nor supportive of the student’s decision to attend college.