Throughout the United States, 30% of college freshman drop out after their first year of college (Formica). One can give many excuses as to why this is; however, being a successful, self-improving college student starts with changing their mindset from trying to do which can be accomplished by having a consistent self-discipline, a positive, open mind-set, and a strong support network. Students with a strong self-discipline constantly outperform students who are less-discipline in academics by achieving better grades, higher test scores, and better attendance. They do not just try to do their homework, they do their homework. High school to college is a big change in one’s life. Many students are moving out of their hometown and living on their own. They are now responsible for themselves and keeping on track. For many this is a hard transition due to the freedom they now have. A student may not have the self-discipline to say no to their friends and themselves and not go out that night to stay in and study instead. This student falls behind in class work that is done outside of the classroom, then quickly falls behind on the classroom materials. They then feel the pressure of the heavy work load, decide that college is not for them and drop out. “Whipping up a paper in five minutes” is not an option in college. College classes are more rigorous than high school classes. Teachers will not hold their student’s hands and tell them what they need to do, when they need to do
Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle in their book “Rereading America” feel that commencing college is a very disturbing experience. So many things we have to deal while starting college, but the major challenges are expanded difficulty levels and higher expectation which we are not familiar over the years of high school. In order to solve this issue, we have to remodel ourselves by taking up the challenge and rethink about our strength and flaws. To succeed in college we need to be mentally strong and dedicated towards our goal.
Many students will have a mindset of not passing a class because now, they feel alone and they don’t know what to do since in high school everything was giving to us and it was easy. The college will either set our mindset to succeed or fail with all the challenges that a student will have to face.
“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.
Despite the fact that student’s desire is to gain a good education, some students fail their first year of college because they are not ready to pursue college life.
Furthermore, the CSEI inventory scale has been applied to establish a retention strategy for first-year students and discovered that it is connected with student’s academic success. Additionally, the inventory scale uses a self-rating10-point scale to rate confidence for which scores have been shown to have high internal consistency, reliability, and validity for use. CSEI inventory scale consists of 20 items related to various matters of college life assessing a student’s sense of perceived college self-efficacy (Solberg, O’Brien, Villarreal, Kennel, & Davis, 1993). This inventory scale has two recognizable categories that emerge, one with an academic focus and another with a social focus. Total scores of the CSEI are gained by summing the responses on the 20 items. The higher total scores suggest a better sense of college
The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.
Although many people will have different opinions on how to achieve personal success in college and consequently increase student retention, there are effective strategies that are proven to aid in achieving these goals.
Many high school students succeed with a little leniency through their four years. The transfer from high school to college becomes overwhelming and a struggle for some. For students do not comprehend the importance of changing more than their location during the transition. A student must be psychologically, physically, and emotionally mature to pursue college and not venture into a point of no return. Dropping out of college makes the outlook of the conversion difficult to acquire. Individuals should take their time on deciding which college and/or university is the best match for them. There are various reasons that cause persons not to prosper. Issues that individuals may come upon might leave a lifelong scar. Matters such as these
Many colleges and universities throughout the United States and several other countries face a common problem. Student retention is a growing problem across the nation for all ethnic groups and all ages. Each individual who chooses to drop out of school has their own personal reasons as to why they do. However, many drops out can be completely avoided. When students drop out they are not clearly thinking about how it’s going to affect their future, the future of their children and even grandchildren. Although there are several reasons as to why students drop out of school, we will be exploring a few as it relates to why student retention is a growing problem.
In today’s’ society, success is often measured by academic and professional achievement. Higher education provides more opportunity and freedom. Statistics verify that generally, the more highly educated have higher earnings and there is a significant difference between wages earned by employees with College degrees and those without. Higher education is often perceived as a means to a ‘better life’ .Though many recognize the benefits of higher education, the rate at which students leave in their first year of College is still very high. Students leave their first year of College for
The transition from high school to college is overwhelming; priorities change, so as keeping a balanced time between work and studies, as well as time to have fun and enjoy. These disadvantages consist of factors that affects the performance a typical working student such as working hours, expenses and finding a relatable career that will suit in the desired degree program. However, these factors only covers a small part of the problem that most students are facing. It is also important to look at the internal self that can definitely affect the academic standing of undergraduate students, such as self-efficacy and peer influence, this aspects are important as it determines one’s strength and
It is the dream of everyone to join college with the hope of getting a better tomorrow and a foundation for them to make it in life. However, this may not be the case with some students as this dream may turn into a nightmare. This is because many students fail to go through or others even fail simply because they have not prepared enough; not just academically but also on the personal side.
Life is believed to be easier for people with higher degrees than for those without higher degrees. Hence, it is the joy of parents to see their children admitted into a higher institution. With the high cost attached to attending a four year university, most students prefer to attend community colleges. Community colleges provide the same quality of education offered by universities for the first two years at a lower cost which help students reduce debts toward getting their higher degree. However, compared to the number of students who started their first year in community colleges, a large percentage dropped out. This is common to both freshly graduated high school students and adults who came back to college to obtain a degree. Students drop out of colleges because of financial issues and the need to take remedial courses. As a result, they have self esteem issues and may remain poor.
Many people believe success in college is rocket science, but actually it’s the exact opposite. College is set up for students with the most basic high school knowledge to have a chance to excel. It’s the simple things that can make or break a student’s college career. Things such as going or not going to class. No brainer right? Sometimes sleep seems so much better than eight o’clock A.M. math, but a successful college student has to have the willpower to resist the temptation to not skip out on class. College is all about learning and not cutting corners, which only will hurt in the end. Everyday of missed class information will be lost, therefore the lack of understanding will show on a test or pop quiz. Attendance is a key to success. If I don’t go
pain, they might not be able to just change their diet. They might need to