The First-to-Second-Year Retention: Programs

Introduction

            Students work hard and join the colleges of their choice.  However, once in college some students tend to give up mid-through their education and quit.  Factors such as enrollments intensity play a role in influencing whether a student completes his or her study.  A student who enrolls as a part time is likely to drop out due to work or personal commitment compared to a student who registered as a full-time student.  For instance, at the City community college, 72% of the students are employed full-time, and just 2% of the students are unemployed.  Other factors such as dependency status and the parent’s education level can also influence a student to complete his or her studies or leave.  Moreover, the age of the students can also influence a decision to leave as students over 24 years may be committed in other personal and professional matters compared to 16-18-year-olds.  Irrespective colleges such as the city Community College must establish strategies that can increase the rates of retention.  The college records a completion rate of 24%, an indicator that less than half of the enrolled students complete their studies.

Body

Mentoring Program

 A program that has been found effective in enhancing the retention of college students is mentoring.  Mentoring entails the provision of emotional and psychological support as well as the provision of care and professional development assistance.  A mentor engages in role modeling and helps to shape a mentee towards the set objective.  In the academic environment, mentors are colleagues as well as supervisors who provide guidance, support, and opportunities to their mentee (Crisp, & Cruz, 2009).  The City community college can establish an effective mentorship program that gives first-year students an opportunity to have an advisor, a consultant as well as a role model as they pursue their course.  A mentor will help a student navigate through the college curriculum.  The college can establish a student-faculty mentoring program which will develop the student’s competence and help the student establish his independence and purpose in the academic journey. Student-faculty relationships can also result in an increased motivation to complete his or her studies.  An increase in motivation results to increased commitment to the institution and education (Schmidt, & Wolfe, 2009).

 The cost of the mentorship program will include the cost of time.  If the college chooses to use its faculty members in the mentorship program, the administration will have to set time for when the student-faculty interactions would occur.  While some interaction may be on a one-on-one basis, the college may also hold group mentorship programs for the first-year students.  In the case where the college out-sources the mentors, the college will incur the cost of services that may be multiplied by the number of students under the mentorship program.  The college may also have to cater for the resident as well as traveling costs of the mentor.

Academic Advising

            City Community College can also engage in academic advising to first-year students.  The first time a student reports to college, he or she may experience confusion associated with adaptation to the new environment as well as understanding the course and units being studied.  In 1972, Crookson established the developmental academic advising programs with the intent of not only assisting students with their personal and vocational decisions but also assisting students to engage in the rational process, behavior awareness, problem-solving initiatives, and decision-making skills.  While the education system has changed significantly since 1972, the underlying framework of academic advising remains the same (Young-Jones et al., 2013).

 Academic advising is more than course registration. The program helps students to connect with the institutions and acquire the best support to enhance their education process.  Therefore, students pursue a course with the full knowledge of the purpose of their studies and how they will implement their course in their future.  Academic advising entails helping students to establish their educational plans and select courses that are relevant to their educational plans.  It also entails planning and sourcing internship opportunities in advance (Robbins, 2012).

 For the successful implementation of the academic advising program, the college may have to budget for the cost of an academic advisor(s).  The college may hire one or several academic advisors depending on the number of students.  The college will foot the cost of salaries for the advisors as well as the equipment that the advisors would need to enhance their role-delivery.

Conclusion

 The effectiveness of a college or university can attract and retain its students to the end of the course.  While students join their colleges will the intent to learn and complete their studies, many factors come into play and influence their efforts.  A mentorship program would be effective in setting the pace for the student by enabling the student see his academic journey as a long-term initiative.  Similarly, academic advising will give the student a long-term objective to pursuing a course that will help him or her attain his target objectives.

References

Crisp, G., & Cruz, I. (2009). Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in Higher Education, 50(6), 525-545. Doi: 10.1007/s11162-009-9130-2

Robbins, R. (2012). Everything you have always wanted to know about academic advising (well, almost). Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 26(3), 216-226. doi:10.1080/87568225.2012.685855

Schmidt, J. A., & Wolfe, J. S. (2009). The mentoring partnership: Discovery of professionalism. Journal of Student Affairs, 46(3), 739-749. Doi: 10.2202/1949- 6605.5015

Young-Jones,  (2013). Academic advising: Does it impact student success? Quality Assurance in Education, 21(1), 7-19.

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