College Attrition Essay

Submitted By maggieroxz
Words: 996
Pages: 4
Open Document
Works Cited

ADAMS, CARALEE. "Colleges Try To Unlock Secrets To Student Retention." Education Digest 77.4 (2011): 19. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

"Key Facts about California Community Colleges." Key Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

"College Drop Out Rates - Who's to Blame?" - StateUniversity.com Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Garcia, Magali
English 100
Professor Mancia
April 28, 2014

Community College Attrition
Every year thousands of caps fly in the air like confetti for high school graduation. Many of these graduates are eager to start their freshman year of college. Although many of these individuals get accepted to community colleges not all of them graduate. Throughout the years college attrition has been a big concern. College attrition is a reduction in number of students attending college who don’t finish their courses and graduate. It is estimated that 40% of college students will leave higher education without getting a degree, with 75% percent of these students leaving within their first two years of college (College Drop Out Rates - Who's to Blame?) Three of the most significant factors that contribute to the high rate of attrition in community colleges are financial issues, the lack of interest and a family member becoming ill.
Most students come from families that earn minimum wages and not all of them qualify for financial aid. According to the article Key Facts about California Community Colleges, Fees increased from $20/unit in 2008-09 academic year to $46/unit in summer 2012 – a 130 percent increase in a period of three academic years. For many of these students it becomes even harder to pay for their education because of their legal status. College tuition, books, and units are expensive, so they are forced to work part-time jobs to earn money and help pay for their education. Most of the jobs students acquire are demanding and time consuming so they are unable to keep up with assignments and attend daily class. This becomes a challenge for them because they have to juggle school, and work at the same time. In most cases work becomes a priority because money is needed to survive and the only option students have is to dropout. At the beginning of the each semester students are excited to start this new journey. They are confident and motivated to get educated. Sadly, not all students remain with the same motivation throughout the entire semester. The main subjects that students have difficulty with the most are English and math. These two subjects can easily discourage anyone, but they are essential in order to transfer to a University. Unfortunately, as the courses move along some students start being absent constantly and they fall behind. Their assignments begin to pile up and the stress begins to creep in. Most students are unable to overcome the struggle and they get discouraged. For many of them their self-confidence decreases and their efforts diminish. Students don’t believe in themselves and their school performance is poor. Although colleges offer help to help improve the academic performance of students it is obviously not enough. Insufficient preparation also contributes to the lack of interest. Students are not well prepared after they graduate from high school, and their consistency of commitment is lost through the process. “One year after high school graduation, more than half of students found college more difficult than expected, and many wished they had taken tougher classes in high school” (Adams). Many times high schools don’t give enough information to the graduates of the options they have in order to continue with their education and enroll into college.
For a college student there are different types of obstacles that come across one’s personal life such family members becoming ill, other professional opportunities being presented, joining the military, or becoming a parent. Unfortunately having a family
Show More

Related Documents: College Attrition Essay

Analysis: A Sense Of Belonging-Improving Student Retention

collegiate university with a degree is the key to acquiring a well-paying job. They both received bachelor degrees from college and now have jobs that pay well. This is just one testament to the reward from sticking with college all four years. College degrees open the job pool dramatically and put one at a higher chance of getting a job over someone who does not have a degree. However college students- more than ever- are dropping out without finishing. Students are now opting to find employment without…

Words 885 - Pages 4

Onsite Deputation Advantages And Disadvantages

This resulted in sprouting of the engineering colleges in the B or C towns as well. This presented great education opportunities for the students all over the country. Specifically for the girl students, who traditionally found it difficult to migrate to different places for educations, could now grab…

Words 963 - Pages 4

Personal Responsibility Essays

different way of teaching, the speed is faster, written work is more common, reading assignments are longer, and competition is more serious. Those who fail to attain a college degree have fewer career opportunities, earn less money and achieve lower financial stability than their peers who graduate from college. (Desjardins, Ahlburg and McCall 2002; Kane and Rouse, 1995).During the academic years students will be exposed to many challenges, a new environment, tougher workload, higher struggle…

Words 812 - Pages 4

Essay on Human Resources Ch 3 Summary

ch 3 human resource planning relationship of human resource planning to strategic planning Human Resource planning systematically forecasts an organization’s future demand for and supply of employees, and then matches supply with demand. The human resource department will then contribute to the success of the organization’s strategic plan in several ways: Proper staffing is critical for strategic success -- An organization needs to be staffed with the right numbers and types…

Words 1791 - Pages 8

Strayhorn Article Summary

also Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Studies within the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. Interestingly, in this article, Strayhorn began his introduction by showing research data from US Department of Education (p.90). It described a demographic distribution of college students—undergraduate, graduate and doctoral—that enrolled across all colleges and universities in the United States. He strived to make the audience, the reader of…

Words 636 - Pages 3

CUNY EDGE Case Study

Currently I a director of the CUNY EDGE program in the City University of New York (CUNY). CUNY EDGE (EDUCATE, DEVELOP, GRADUATE and EMPOWER) is an initiative implemented by the City University of New York and the Human Resources Administration (commonly referred to as HRA.) The premise of CUNY EDGE is to help support the specific needs of students who are receiving government assistance and are pursuing an undergraduate degree. CUNY EDGE is in 19 campuses within CUNY and over 6,000 student are enrolled…

Words 404 - Pages 2

Home Sweet Home Essay

September 2010 – Present Deli Manager (October 2011-Present) Managed team of 6 employees including recruitment, hiring, and management of staff. Created employee incentive program which resulted in significantly lower attrition rates. Increased customer satisfaction score by 30 points in one year (out of 100) through a series of training initiatives which focused on increasing the speed and friendliness of staff. Oversaw day-to-day operations of deli including inventory…

Words 372 - Pages 2

History: American Civil War and north Navy Advantages Essay example

the Union’s troops. Although Lee had spoken against secession and considered slavery a moral and political evil, he resigned from the army and offered his services to the Confederacy 313 resigned to join the confederacy 7 out of 8 military colleges in south South military, north navy Advantages and Disadvantages Industry and Agriculture North produced firearms and clothing, South gunpowder and produce food. Financing the War Union tariffs and national treasury and northern…

Words 360 - Pages 2

Diversity In Higher Education

indicates the completion of a college degree is an important tool for economic and social mobility in the United States. In the United States over their work life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; Associate degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.1 million (Jones, 2014, 1). Considering the importance of higher education in our society, admission and retention of minority students in our universities and colleges must be the subject of stern…

Words 907 - Pages 4

Academic Degree and Southern New Hampshire Essay

management forecasts that revenues will reach $200 million in the 2012 academic year, four times what it took in in 2011, making it one of the biggest and fastest growing online operations at any not for profit college in the US. The university is projecting a $29 million profit from the online college, which amounts to a 22 percent margin. Some of the money is being put back in the online operation and the rest is being using for a campus building boom. President Paul J. LeBlanc is the architect of…

Words 700 - Pages 3