The importance of college student life and involvement as it pertains to student success and retention in college
Nicholas James Whipps
Academic Essay for Adult and Postsecondary Education Application
The college landscape has changed a lot in the past decade. The stakes are higher as it pertains to cost, competition, potential benefits to the students themselves and society. This day in age to become successful and economically self-sufficient, a post-secondary degree is a must in a lot of cases. Research has backed up this statement and has consistently documented a positive relationship between education and economic stability (e.g., Day and Newburger 2002). In 2008 the U.S census bureau collected data that showed that bachelor’s degree recipients earn about $26,000 dollars more than high school graduates. The importance of postsecondary education and obtaining a degree are at the forefront of concerns right now and colleges are constantly trying to conquer the ever widening topic of student success and retention. Not many college students think about the ramifications of not having any supplemental experience to go with a degree and not utilizing opportunities of engagement that most colleges offer to help them inside and outside the classroom. We therefore need to ask what else we need to do to further improve the effectiveness of our research on behalf of increased student retention and success. Are there other questions we must ask and issues we need to further explore in the continuing problem of student attrition in post-secondary education?
A student’s success in college and after they graduate hinders a lot on the ability to engage in their environment, meet new people and interact in a social settin...
... middle of paper ...
...ion and success. While much has been researched, the journey has only just begun. Very briefly I have highlighted a topic that has been and still could be researched with hundreds of different auxiliary issues stemming from it. Delving further into what student life departments do for student retention and success and their role in this process is a very important piece of this ever expanding puzzle. There is not a lot of literature or research on the topic right now and while this specific question is still a very broad topic, it can easily be narrowed down and sectioned off for more specific goals and research. What we need but do not have a whole lot of yet is a body of research that delves into the nature of institutional practices when it comes to student life departments, their theories and practices and the impact they have on student success and retention.
In the novel, What the Best College Students Do written by Ken Bain, we learn about how college student goes through rough times in their college life. The author brings up a common issue that occurs in the academic life of college students. It is the need of having self confidence and self esteem. Bain believes that if a student loves and admires themselves it will give the student a better advantage of having a well-being lifestyle than all their other peers that are having difficulties. Many college students focus mainly on their grades other than the knowledges that they are learning in class. The idea of having perfect grades in all the subjects are limiting the students from approaching activities that they might be interested.
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
“A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated” this anecdote written by Horace Mann, explains the significance education has in today’s society. In order to acquire a career and be successful, individuals need to be educated. Global competition for jobs is very common in today’s century, individuals are not only competing with local people, but also people worldwide. The prerequisites for jobs keep changing through time and the demands for jobs also keep increasing. It is the responsibility of the schools to motivate and retain its students on *the journey of acquiring an education in order to prepare them for future responsibilities. Universities, Community Colleges, along with High Schools are the main source of motivation for students to continue pursuing their career goals and retaining students in school. Furthermore, the importance for an education is immense, it shapes who you are as an individual and can gradually be a door opener to great opportunities in the future. Education is a human right in America, and should be taken advantage of when it is available. Unfortunately, other individuals in different countries are not blessed with this opportunity, due to their financial status, lifestyle, health etc. Therefore, it is very important to maintain the retention rate, which is the amount of students attending College to acquire their education. Although, there are various numbers of reasons that may prohibit retention rates from increasing, which induce the rise on drop out rates and prohibit students from attending school, it is the school’s responsibility to encourage the continuation of acquiring an education. The reason for Skyline College’s retention rate remaining constant is caused by variou...
Engberg. M. E. (2007). The influence of first-year “success” courses on student learning and democratic outcomes. Journal of College Student Development, 48, 241-258.
For those who wish to have children in the future, imagine putting ten dollars a week aside from now until they turned eighteen. That money would hardly accumulate up to even a portion of the costs for just a single year of higher education. In the article, “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree”, an essay from the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2008, author Marty Nemko discusses all aspects that should be considered before pursuing a serious interest in educational institutions. Being a current student at a four-year institution it concerns me for not only myself but also fellow peers if we are making the right decision. The costs of higher education are increasing drastically along with the amount of Americans in debt from student loans. The value of a bachelor degree is declining and students are faced with the question, do the benefits of a collegiate education out weigh the costs?
This report looks at college from the prospective of adults who have not attended college but are considering obtaining a degree. The research results give several statistics related to adults wishing to continue their education and the main concerns that they face in doing so. They mentioned many of the factors that influence adults’ decisions to pursue a post-secondary education and how they will pursue that education. Facts presented in this report show that many people wish that they could further their education. This report will allow me to broaden my viewpoint by not only viewing college’s worth to students recently graduated from high school but also to older adults seeking to return to college.
Many students are struggling in college. According to the New York Times Web site, only 33 percent of the college students are graduating in six years. Obviously students still need much help to succeed in order to get where they want to go. Although college can be challenging, I am going to succeed by using advice from experts, by developing strategies and ideas, and by taking advantage of the benefits offered by my college.
Students go to college in search of knowledge, a new lifestyle, and the hope of a job after graduation. For many young adults, college is a rite of passage into an independent, mature new lifestyle. Not only is higher education a rite of passage, for some, it is also an opportunity to have a better life. Overall, college is a wonderful part of many people’s lives, yet the way the college education system is conducted wastes students time and money. College is basically composed of two parts: general education classes and major specific classes. General education courses are the source of wasted time and money, and should not be required of students. A few of the problems associated with general education classes are that they are basically a repeat of high school, unfortunately they can be the demise of students, they are costly, and they waste time.
Retention issues is an aspect that plagues many colleges and universities today. Despite all the incredible advantages that come along with having an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree, but retention rates remain high. As provost of the college, it is time to redesign and incorporate at least two retention programs.
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson. Berger, J. B., & Milem, J. F. (1999). The role of student involvement and perceptions of integration in a casual model of student persistence. Research in Higher Education, 40, 641-664. Light, J. R. (2001).
As a first year student, college is an excellent opportunity to discover one’s own sense of identity and interact with a diverse range of people. Unfortunately, everyone will experience moments of confusion, loneliness, or even disengagement during their college years, which may cause a lack of interest for campus involvement. Through many studies, there are several theories that determine the parallelism between a student’s growth and their involvement interest, which also provides helpful methods for first year students to overcome challenges during this time. As Luckyday mentors this gives us insight to how to carefully approach different situations from mentees while forming a lasting impact on their transition from high school to college.
High impact practices are important to the development and engagement of students (Kilgo et al, 2014). Two high impact practices that have a positive impact on students are collaborative learning and undergraduate research (Kilgo et al, 2014). I think the high impact practices will give student affairs professional different methods and opportunities to help develop and support students through their college career. Student affairs professionals are going to have to learn how to participate to high impact practices and find ways to motivate students to do them (Schuh et al, 2011). By doing this I believe that student affairs professionals and faculty can bridge the gap to help success of
The most profound recommendations suggesting the benefits of an academic and student affairs partnership have emerged over 25 years ago. The Student Learning Imperative (ACPA, 1994) indicated the positive impact on students through such a connection: “students benefit from many and varied experiences during college and learning, and personal development are cumulative, mutually shaping processes that occur over an extended period in many different settings” ( p. 3). The document, Learning Reconsidered, the result of this collaboration was groundbreaking highlighting the weaknesses and missing elements in a holistic approach to developing the whole student. Learning Reconsidered defined learning as “a comprehensive, holistic, transformative activity that integrates academic learning and student development” (Keeling, 2004, p. 4). Finally, Learning Reconsidered 2 is another serious attempt at bridging the gap between academics and student affairs that
What if everyone sat alone for lunch, each company did not interact with other businesses, and everyone lived a life of solitude? During college, learning to interact with others plays a large role in shaping the individual. College life provides many opportunities for a student to become involved with others. This socialization can result in a person gaining many benefits, including preparation for the work world. Social development helps a student to meet new people as well as making a person aware of the diversity on a college campus like Saint Peter’s. Human traits have evolved because of the influence that our surroundings exert upon us. The manner in which a person socializes in his or her environment determines how a person develops. In the college environment, the process of socialization turns students into adults.