The Effect Of Retention On Higher Education

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,

Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.

The college drop-out and failure rate in North America is unacceptably high and it’s becoming a huge problem. In fact, US News reports that “30% of college freshmen drop out after their first year of college” (Bowler 2). There are quite a few reasons students drop out of College. Whether it’s having a child or working two jobs, it’s hard for most students to balance college and life. Some of the main causes of dropping out include nontraditional situations, mental issues such as stress or anxiety, and lack of self-knowledge.

The problem of university retention rates is not a new issue, but it is a continual situation that must be addressed on a consistent basis. Due to the number of students who choose to transfer from Westland University, we need to create a new academic agenda that will steadily bring in revenue. There was a motion a couple of years ago that tried to rectify this issue, a decision made to close two out of our three commuter campuses. This decision did eliminate some financial burden, but it also hindered our application rates plus the number of transfer students who left Westland for another college did increase. Consequently, until the finances of the university stabilize the school is now moving forward by electing to offer more

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, of the students seeking a bachelor's degree at a four-year university, on average, only 59% of them graduate within six years. It is unfortunate to note that even with the extra two years, students still struggle to persist through graduation, due to numerous hindering factors. Hence, the issue of college success now lies within the central realm of scholarly research, with numerous scholars applying previously known psychological theories to education, including Kurt Lewin’s force-field analysis model, Abraham Maslow’s need reduction theory for motivation, and the self-efficacy and attribution theories. Together, these theories have provided a framework to discover

“In fall 2016, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000” (National Center for Education Statistics). That number seems to be rising each and ever year, and it almost seems as students feel like they have to go to college directly after high school. Maybe it is because they feel that they have to fit in, even if college is not for them. Although some students attend college for academics, sports, and other reasons, some students attend college for no apparent reason; with that in mind, students should take into consideration the time and money that is put into going to college.

The shift from high school to college involves a change in identity from a simple high school student to a professional college undergraduate. According to Stephen et al (2012) the school system focuses on “independent” variables, while first generation students need a more “interdependent” environment to thrive. These two variables will be explained in more depth further in the paper. Also, other research articles found that first-generation college student (FGCS) cannot benefit from their parents’ experiences in preparing for and applying to college (Sanez et al, 2007). As a result, FGCS are less exposed to the support and other contributing aspects that provide preparation to their peers, continuing-generation student (CGS), as they go through college (Mehta et al, 2011).

There has been a moment in everyone’s life where they have dug too deep to jump back out and abandon the end goal. Students across the country that begin their junior year of high school are thinking about which choice of colleges they have in mind. One of the major problems that keeps a student back like solid steel chain is the tuition it cost for University admission. Students working their hardest throughout their high school career and having the ever conscious situation of financial problems stress them out. Students become discouraged when one of the main reasons for being unable to attend their dream college, is their inability to afford the yearly tuition cost of attendance. Students are then forced to face reality, in the sense that,

As a result, students and parents are starting to prepare for college much later than researchers recommend (Bell et al., 2009; Gibbons et al., 2006). According to research from Bell et al. (2009), students who attend schools with personnel dedicated to college guidance are more likely to feel confident about and familiar with the college application process. This finding is particularly significant, as first-generation college students report lower positive outcome expectations related to attending college, which can in turn impact their intentions, interests, and goals. Furthermore, with prospective first-generation college students reporting greater barriers related to college going, it is essential that counselors dedicated to college access are available to help raise positive expectations, as well as challenge negative expectations for this population (Gibbons & Borders, 2010). Although 65 percent of first-generation college students expressed interest in attending a four-year university in Gibbons et al.’s (2006) research, just 53 percent of all prospective first-generation college students were enrolled in college-preparatory courses. As a result, some counselors have started to realize how the rigor of classes is a systemic barrier

“Kids who are the first in their families to brave the world of higher education come on campus with little academic know-how and are much more likely than their peers to drop out before graduation” (1). Many people believe that school isn’t for everyone, and whoever goes is privileged for doing so. Countless people in the world today do not attend college, and this is mainly due to an influence of those in their family. Perhaps they are unsupportive of higher education, their parents and family members may view their entry into college as a break in the family system rather than a continuation of their schooling and higher learning. Most of the first-generation students decide to apply to colleges, because they aspire to jobs which require degrees. However, unlike some students whose parents have earned a degree, they often seek out college to bring honor to their families, and to ensure they make a decent amount of money for their future.

Student retention is an issue that has been plaguing college and universities for a very long time. Retention of students in higher education in itself has many facets some of which follow a positive order such as when students go from a two year institution to a four year institution and a negative when students just drop out of school. Either event can cause an economic disruption unless this is something that is expected or planned for. Institution with formula funding is very sensitive to such swing in student demographics. While not desirable it is a fact that some institution have grown to accept.

Today, more than any other time in history, student demographics of college and university students in the United States are experiencing rapid and profound changes. Along with these increases in nontraditional student enrollment comes an increasing percentage of working nontraditional college students with a multitude of commitments that serve to create barriers to educational success that traditional student learners do not have in a traditional college setting (Wyatt, 2011). Based on this information, many institutions hurry to seek solutions to the barriers without considering the existent of the underlying causes. It becomes the conjecture that the solutions to the barriers can be met quickly; consequently, this assumption

To increase the likelihood that students will have the necessary social capital to enroll in college, programs typically take a multi-pronged approach to provide students with the missing supports that will help them develop a college-going mindset. Consistent with those goals, college readiness programs generally offer a series of comprehensive services, such as tutoring, financial literacy classes, coaching, college awareness and exposure, and cultural enrichment. Le et al. (2016), noted that factors associated with limited college participation include: inadequate academic preparation for college, lack of knowledge about financial aid, limited access to information about the college application and limited social support.

The biggest issue faced in the educational field in the United States is the students’ dropouts in the College studies (Fike & Fike, 2008). Parents, policy makers and educators should take a bigger stance at reducing the student dropouts, where very little or nothing is expected from the students. So, studies have been formulated to measure student progress and effectiveness of learning (Kim, Newton, Downey, & Benton, 2010). Mhuva (2011) found that supportive staffs, focusing on students’ individual and academic needs, and positive modeling, enhance student retention. The learning processes must be alive from the first day of class and must be taught by caring faculty.

There are many types of retainers, although they can be broadly classified into two main types, removable retainers and fixed ones. Removable retainers, as their name suggests, can be removed by patients allowing them to clean their teeth. These removable retainers can be worn on a part time or full time basis according to the patient's own situation and the orthodontist's treatment plan (Johnston and Littlewood 2015).