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Retention in university
Retention in university
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Involvement is directly related to college student success. Student Success is a priority for colleges and universities because it helps to retain students. Retention that leads to higher graduation rates is a mission that institutions of higher learning hold closely. Retention is important because when students withdraw from an institution prior to graduation, they lose the time and financial investments they made into their education without gaining the benefits of the degree that student was pursuing. Institutions also have a close relationship with retention and graduation because when students withdraw from their institutions, they must cover the loss of revenue that the student invested into their campus resources. Involvement is related to whether or not a student will stay at an institution. It was stated by Vincent Tinto that students often leave because they have not made significant connections or feel a part of the community in the institution. The following will explore what is defined by involvement and student success, and the analysis of West Chester University of Pennsylvania’s practices that lead to increased student success. (Krumrei-Mancuso)
Keywords: Leadership, Retention, Student Engagement,
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For the case of this essay, student involvement will be defined based off Alexander W. Astin’s Developmental Theory of Higher Education. Astin defined student involvement as “the quantity and quality of the physical and psychological energy that students invest in the college experience” (Astin, 1999). Being involved in educational activities in and outside of the classroom is a significant indicator for student success. This is due to the fact that when a student holds a leadership position, that individual is aware that their peers rely on them for service, guidance, and follow-through. These students also are more likely to feel connected to an organization and the institution. (Harper & Quaye,
Students entering college for the first time become concerned with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These students are now responsible for how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands of college?
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: Volume 2, a third
At the turn of the 20th century, the majority of college students were white male adolescents, primarily the sons of doctors, lawyers, ministers, prosperous merchants, and well-to-do farmers (Jenkins, Miyazaki, and Janosi). First generation college students are a new demographic when it comes to the college population. First generation students are the first in their family to attend college and plan to be the first in their family that graduate. According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, First Generation Students make up 43% of the student population (Nunez, Cuccaro-Alamin, and Carroll.). This is a completely new demographic compared to the prior population of student bodies. Today’s society stresses the importance of college degrees and has been a drastic increase in first generation students. Despite the fact that many students have already passed the initial barrier of applying and being admitted to college, there are many challenges these students face that non-first generation students do not experience. However, the majority of these students face risk factors in their college experience that non-first generation college students do not experience. One of the main differences I have notice is the lack of participation of first generation college students in campus activities, clubs, or organization. Campus engagement is known to enhance a student’s academic and personal development. Student’s involved in extracurricular activities learn to work, communicate, and problem solve with others. They have more developed ideas, beliefs, and opinions. They also have more self-esteem and speaking skills which will definitely help them once they graduate and enter the job market. With all of the benef...
In their book Paying for the Party, Armstrong and Hamilton discuss how universities take class differences and class projects of distinct women to define what will be their college experience. In their book, Armstrong and Hamilton define class projects as individual and class characteristics that defines a person’s agenda and class- based orientation. Hence, people with similar class projects, not only shared the same financial and cultural resources, but also the same expectations toward school. (Armstrong & Hamilton, 2013). As a result, Armstrong and Hamilton claims that students with similar class projects end up becoming a collective constituency and a representative group for the university, whom in turn must take their interests to form a college pathway for them. Therefore, a college pathway for Armstrong and Hamilton refers to how universities are able to take successfully the interests, class characteristics and expectations of students to mold within the organizational and architecture context of the school. In a way, each college pathway is built not only to represent, but also to provision and guide the different types of students in a college.
Palmer, Parker J. “The Quest for Community in Higher Education.” Criteria 2011-2012: A Journal of First-year Writing. Eds. Mary K. Jackman and Lee Gibson. Dallas: SMU Dept. of English, 2011. 46-55. Print.
For their entire lives, these students have been motivated by an outside source to complete their work. Whether it was a teacher, parent, or tutor, students were constantly reminded of the importance of completing their assignments. As college students, however, there is a need for a greater sense of self-motivation. These students have not yet developed the maturity necessary to thrive in an independent learning environment. Many students go into college without the discipline and determination needed in order to succeed. These students struggle throughout their college beginnings and become discouraged at their poor performance compared to their previous high school successes. Other times, students are caught up in the “college experience,” and begin to lose motivation. College’s social aspect is a lifelong memory. Many students, however, prioritize socializing and partying over their studies. It is a slippery slope for these students as coursework and other assignments pile up and eventually overwhelm the naive
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.
"Student Involvement." Fraternity & Sorority National Statistics. University of Missouri - Kansas City, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
As a young undergraduate, I attempted to prove myself as a hardworking student by attending my courses focused and well prepared, and conducting my assignments as required. Through my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate to participate in several student and voluntary activities. Furthermore, determinant to acquire relevant practical experience, I trained and worked at several establishments applying my theoretical ed...
Stuart, M., Lido, C., Morgan, J., Solomon, L., and May, S. (2011). The impact of engagement with extracurricular activities on the student experience and graduate outcomes for widening participation populations. Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(3), 203-215.
Social Media has become a very essential tool in the society; in addition, it has a huge impact on communication and learning process. Social media is defined as websites and applications used for social networking. “As of September 2013, seventy-one percent of online adult use Facebook, eighteen percent use Twitter and seventeen percent use Instagram, twenty-two percent use PInterest, and another twenty-two percent use LinkedIn. (PewReasearch, 2013). In addition, "Between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet user ages eighteen and twenty-nine jumped from nine percent to forty-nine percent. The usage of social media had grown drastically.” On social media sites like these, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more” (Socialnetworking.procon,2012). Social media has impacted everyone in several different ways. In this present time, majority of college student use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has a bold impact college student's grades, social interactions, and the teaching and learning process.
Being a successful student and achieving continued academic success is fundamental in order to complete an associate degree and become a successful professional. College is challenging, but it can be a rewarding growth experience and easier when setting up goals. Having educational and career goals helps students keep the focus and motivation. Besides, having knowledge of different learning styles can help students learn about themselves and increase efficiency while studying. Writing skills learned in college are also a powerful tool for both academic and career success. The campus is a great place to find tools to succeed and achieve continued academic success. It is also important to keep academic honesty as a good habit and as a value of integrity throughout college and later on in the professional environment.
What contributing factors affect student motivation towards success in college? Motivation is a force that helps people to achieve what they yearn to be, which helps people conquer obstacles to reach a goal. Students can be physically present in the classroom, but mentally absent. Many things can play a factor in student academic success from the quality of the professors’ lecture, to sufficient and modern facilities or the effective engagement between student and professors. In many researches including the books Lives on the Boundary by Mike Ross and Academically Adrift by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa it demonstrates factors that students face in the achievement of academic success. Those factors that coincide on student academic success are motivation, life responsibilities, and preparation.
One of the most essential ingredients to an effective instructional environment is the initiative of the student. For the traditional undergraduate college student, this is one of the areas in which most problems exist [2]. The ‘traditional’ undergraduate college student should be construed as an average male and female between the ages of 18 and 22 who is at a transitional phase in life and learning to deal with independence.
Imagine walking across the stage in just a few years from now. Having thousands of eyes pointed at you as you take that emotional walk to finally receive your high school diploma. After a few years when you have graduated high school and started life, you're going to look back and think, what have I accomplished so far? Extracurricular activities can be very beneficial for students now, and those in the future as well. They can allow you to feel like you have accomplished something while in school. Extracurricular activities are important because they can benefit a student through personal, educational, and even social means. It is a great idea to get more students involved in extracurricular activities and parents should begin to give their kids a little push to get them more involved.