The Most effective College Retention Initiative
After working in higher education for only a few short years, that last thing you’ll hear is me calling myself an expert. After walking away from higher education and starting my own consulting practice that works with young adults leaving college, I will say that I know where there are significant gaps in the system. If a list of where the gaps existed were created, I’d get push back on how it doesn’t apply to one institution for several reasons. It could be because of the student demographic, or the geographic region, or that that specific school doesn’t have that issue. If you’re like me, you don’t care to hear the excuses anymore. The reality is hundreds of thousands of students enroll in college each fall. Thousands, upon thousands withdraw shortly after. Some make it two days, while others manage step away after winter break. After helping clients in both situations, I’ve started to mull over this idea of what the most effective retention initiative could be.
Drumroll, please.
My suggestion is that colleges and universities not admit students. Yes, this may be a ludacris idea. And yet in an effort to help Generation Z to grow up a little and be prepared for college, it’s time we start sending denial letters. Instead of admitting 18 year-olds, focus university admission and retention efforts towards students that are older and demonstrate life experiences. They have a drive, passion, and a purpose for being in school. Certainly, they will not engage in all Student Affairs resources, but I’ll go so far as to propose the notion that maybe they won’t need it because they’ll be ready to be students. They’ll advocate for themselves with them need to. They’re self-aware of their strengths. They have self-efficacy even. Students who just graduated from high school though, most of them don’t have that.
Those that don’t, well they’re in for a challenging transition into college. If they have no resiliency skills, they will feel alone. If they are dependent on their parents, they will not be able to survive on their own. If they have no idea why they’re in college than it was what they’ve been told since 6th grade they need to do, they will feel adrift on your campus and not focused on their education. They will experience their first failures on your campus, and could quite possibly walk away feeling ashamed, traumatized, and not supported. How do you suppose a university allocate resources to re-engage that student? They’re never returning. If you had turned them away from the get-go, maybe they would have worked harder to want to be there in the future. Maybe, just maybe we would allow them to have a different post-secondary experience.
Retention will always be a buzz word in higher education. It’s also not synonymous with student success. If you want to admit, enroll and re-enroll students (retention) then you need to take a closer look at who you’re admitting in the first place. If you want students to be successful on campus and ultimately graduate, you need to focus your attention to an older population who is approaching your institution with a completely different purpose, and with an agenda. That’s where you’ll make your money as a university.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
