The Importance Of Student Experience In College

My journey shows that I am determined to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Family Services and continue to my master’s degree in Student Affairs. This journey as a freshman student from Gary, Indiana to being a senior has not been easy. Gary, Indiana is a low-income, predominately African-American community. I graduated high school ranking 6 of 100 seniors and of that 100, I only know of six students who attended college; three have graduated from college already. I plan to be the fourth college graduate from my high school class. I am a first college generation student. Upon attending college, I realized how unprepared academically I was for college. Without being academically prepared, I faced many bumps in the road. I have no family system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I have used my resources and developed a great support system of advisors.

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.

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.

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).

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

College student degree non-completion and attrition is a pressing issue for higher education institutions. Nearly 20% of first-time, full time students failed to return to campus for their sophomore year among the 2012 cohort. Further, the 6-year graduation rate among the fall 2007 cohort of students seeking bachelor’s degrees was approximately 59 percent (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015) The vulnerability of groups of students were identified by O'Keeffe (2013), who pointed out that part time students, first year students, first generation

The purpose of this memo is to explain why a new educational/support program should be started for students at Wake Tech Community College. This program will help students to be more successful in college, as they learn coping mechanisms to deal with situations and stressors often faced by new college students. Such a program will cause an increase in students’ grades and a decrease in the drop-out and dismissal rates.

The public institution selected for this research project is a nonprofit, multi-campus and Georgia’s third-largest technical college based in Waco. The institution has an open admissions policy. It enrolls less than 7,000 students annually, in certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs. The highest degree offered at the institution is an associate degree. The student-faculty ratio is 18-to-1. The challenge for West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) is to design and implement effective retention strategies and programs for first-time students that monitor, encourage , and reward student retention using available resources and without burdening faculty and staff with cumbersome tracking and reporting procedures. While the limitations present an overwhelming task, the consequences of not solving the problem exceed any potential limitations. With these limitations in mind, the researcher’s task is to find a workable solution. First-year retention rates involving higher education undergraduates during the previous several years have improved marginally even with various improvement efforts (Barefoot, 2000; Tinto, 2004). Large numbers of first-year students are exiting college due to unsatisfactory academic skills, failures to adapt both socially and academically, in addition to having an inadequate commitment to the objective of finishing college (Ishler & Upcraft, 2005; Tinto, 1987).

Early alert intervention programs can be beneficial to colleges to assist them with identifying students who are at risk of not being academically successful (Tampke, 2012-2013; Bryan & Simmons, 2009). Equally important, students entering college for the first time encounter significant changes from those encountered in high school as the academic demands are usually more rigorous. In addition, some freshman students struggle with academic success, which impacts persistence; therefore, early intervention programs should be considered. According to Vanthournout, Coertjens, Donche, and Van Petegem (2012), student academic persistence is an expected outcome of early intervention programs.

College campuses are swarming with “new adults”, most of whom are still in their teens and are often living on their own for the very first time. They are learning how to make decisions for themselves and are figuring out who they want to become. College is designed to help them in this process. It allows them to mature and grow through experiences and trial and error. High stress, threat to one’s previous identity through failures, and

My students often struggled with income, readmission, and the trials of being a first-generation college student. My responsibilities allowed me to guide the students in a way that would maximize their participation in the campus academic community. As a social worker assists clients to adjust to challenges in their lives, I assisted students with

The success in my first semester of college wouldn’t nearly be what it is if it wasn’t for my involvement in the TRIO Student Support Services program. They have provided me multiple tools, both online and in-person, to ensure a healthy and smooth transition into collegiate life.

Pre-college and student behaviors preparation plays an integral part in a student’s transition into college. Temple (2009) noted that successful student behaviors include frequently conferencing with their guidance counselor about college preparations, and developing an awareness about the college transition process. Students must be prepared academically to attend college. Therefore, schools must prepare students not only to be good citizens but to also academically challenge and prepare students to enter a career or college. The Best Colleges (n.d.) wrote that choosing the just right college increases the retention of FGS. Baum, Ma, & Payea (2011) noted that many FGS lack the substantial preparation required to successfully perform and acclimate to college socially and academically. Self-determination, resilience, and persistence play a vital role in assuring that FGS remain in their chosen higher learning institution.

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.

Institutions of higher education pride themselves in their ability to educate, serve, and meet the needs of the students in which it serves. This analysis shows collaboration on college/university campuses to foster success among first year students. With higher education today being in a state of dynamic change, it becomes crucial that faculty members recognize that their long time traditional roles have become somewhat non-existent. That is to say that there must be a relinquishing of past ideas and procedures.