Student Retention Research Paper

Community colleges in the United States develop rapidly and have become a vital component of the postsecondary education delivery system. As of 2011-2012 school year, 45% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in public two-year colleges, approximately 8.3 million students (Knapp et al., 2012. Cited by AACC Fast Facts). And it seems that with globalization and Obama’s education agenda, the trend of growing enrollment in community colleges won’t change. A high school graduate who decides to pursue postsecondary education may face with a dilemma--whether enroll in a community college or a traditional four-year college. Even within a community college, a student may be faced with a choice—enroll in a vocational program and enter workforce after graduation with a vocational certification, or choose an academic program with an intention of transferring to four-year institutions.

Although a proportion of colleges and universities create programs and interventions that would provide support for all students equally, the collegiate achievement gap among the racial/ethnic minority is still a pressing issue. Researchers suggest that college students from minority groups are susceptible to the five sources of chronic strain (Schneiderman, Ironson, & Siegel, 2005). For example, having a full-time job, or problems between role sets (students and parents). As such, students may struggle with finding funds for college tuition and supplies, resolving housing and safety issues, finding help them care for dependent children, and accessing healthcare. Those situations are especially true for the minority students because they may face more challenge while developing time management and coping skills.

In a May 2003 persuasive article published by USA Today titled “College isn’t for Everyone”, the author W.J. Reeves states “about 15 million people in America are enrolled in college.” This is a staggering amount considering the fact that many people are in college for all the wrong reasons. About half of the Americans enrolled in college are there because they feel they owe it to their families. Only a small number of Americans in college actually feel it is necessary for successful lives. In this article, Reeves recollects on his experiences as a college English professor at an institution in New York. He speaks of how he believes that many students truly do not want to be in college. You can tell this by his stories of tardiness,

In “Public Community Colleges: Creating Access and Opportunities for First-Generation College Students,” Everett argues that community colleges have been increasing to higher educations by enrolling members of low-income, first-generation, and many more. Everett also argues that college is limited because of costs, discrimination, and precollege preparation. Julia Everett also states some challenges faced after admission such as, students who have their mind set to transfer to a 4-year university only 46% actually complete that goal and rates are lower for those with a low-income. Helping first-generations students is beneficial to the economic.

As an out of state student, I came to Seattle seeking higher education and new perspectives. I am originally from a well off, stable, white, catholic family in Austin, Texas, United States of America. All of these factors have left me seeking a college degree, which has always been expected of me, and the means to pay for that experience. Without having to worry about paying for college, I have many more opportunities than those who have to work their way through college. These opportunities stem from advantages like control over how I spend my time, the ability to choose where I would like to study, and not necessarily needing to consider the practicality of my studies. Though these all contribute to a more enjoyable and fruitful college

The term “non-traditional” has been coined to describe and categorize students from non-traditional backgrounds. Non-traditional student diversity may include “age, color, ethnicity, gender, national origin, physical, mental and emotional ability, race, religion, language, sexual orientation and socio-economic status” (Taylor and House 46). From the age perspective, non-traditional students exceed the normal age range of college students. The normal age range for students attending higher education institutions is 18-24 years of age. “The rise of non-traditional-age students – that is, students who are either coming to college or retuning to it” has been increasing for the past several decades (Lang 188).

Over the past twenty-five years, college costs have accumulatively risen four-hundred percent. The percent of parents who contribute to their child’s student debt has dropped from thirty-seven percent to twenty-seven percent, compared to three years ago. Due to the lack of aid, most students have to try to balance a job and school at the same time resulting in eighty-five percent of college students working at least twenty hours a week. It has also been noted that students who work twenty hours or more a week while attending classes at the same time are less likely to graduate due to the high stress environment. Sixty-two percent of college students who drop out were responsible for their own college education. Even when students drop out, thirty percent are still faced with college debt, creating a loophole impossible to recover

Every year, there are thousands of college students that are pushed to attend college, in the sole hope that they will be able to make a respectable living. More than half of these students will not end up completing their 4-year degree. Many students are starting to take a hard look at why they are going to pursue a college degree, to determine if a degree is really their best option. College education is changing for the better, with technical and vocational skills giving less academically inclined students an option. Another reason why students should consider other options is the cost; university boards have been some of the most corrupt and wasteful spenders in the last decade and this will only change with less demand. Finally, the strenuous process of admissions has been continuously overlooked and underestimated by thousands of future students. A traditional 4-year education, that caters to the industry of university, is no longer required to be successful in the job market, and traditional admissions can become an anachronism.

With today’s changing world and the economy the way it is, it is not uncommon for people of all ages to enter the college setting. In fact, two-thirds of students entering the college setting are classified non-traditional (Brown, 2007). Bill (2003) found that there was an 11% increase of non-traditional student enrollment from 1991-1998 displaying 35% in 91 and 46% in 1998. These numbers have since increased according to Jacobson & Harris (2008) showing that half to 75% of undergraduates consist of the non-traditional student sitting the reasons for reentering the college setting to be economic. What exactly defines a non-traditional student and what services may they need in comparison to the traditional student.

First generation college students remains to be a challenge for the community college system as well as the university system (Ward, Seigel, & Davenport, 2012). The challenges extend from their lack of academic study skill practices to their lack of socialization skills (Ward, Seigel & Davenport, 2012).

A non-traditional student is defined as a student that has one or more of the following qualities: delayed enrollment after high school, full-time employment, part-time college attendance, financial independence, and/or does not have a high school diploma (Cox 7). The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) estimated in a 1999 report that almost 75 percent of all undergraduates possessed one or more nontraditional characteristics. However, according to the 2012 studies of research studies in higher education, just 17 percent of college students are considered traditional (Harpe and Kaniuka 250). With the overwhelming amount of non-traditional undergraduates in America comes three major challenges: institutional, situational, and dispositional.

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

Professional educators who know best practice policies working with FGCS can influence more FGCS to enter college. FGCS represent a population of students which are sometimes called invisible. FGS ride the education pipeline from early education through secondary education and do well but fail to matriculate into higher education or are unsuccessful once they transition into higher education because they arrive on campus with multiple barriers which confound their efforts to assimilate into college campus life. Ultimately a student’s educational experiences prior to entering higher education critically impact a student’s post-secondary education choices. Contreras (2011)

Conclusion: In conclusion it is evident that student retention is dependent on the personal success of

As Americans look towards the idea of college today, some may agree that the overall goals of a university have drastically changed since the popularity of higher education has increased. If one were to ask the universities what their core values consist of, most institutions would boast about student academics and growth being at the top of the list. As this response may ring true with most colleges in the US, specifically smaller schools, the increase in funds for research and athletic programs have seemingly overtaken the attention of larger, more competitive universities. Higher education has become a more popular choice among ambitious adults, providing them an opportunity to move up in the working world. Further, with this