Students Can Take Steps to Enhance Chances for College Completion

In the last blog, I featured the study by Clifford Adelman called, The Toolbox Revisited, published in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education.
www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.

His longitudinal use of student postsecondary transcript data (NEL 1988/2000) demonstrates that students can increase their probability of four year college completion by taking some specific steps. These steps apply whether a student starts at a four or two year institution.

1) Sooner is better than later. Start college right after high school graduation.
2) Take as many classes per semester as you can handle given other time demands (full-time is best)
3) Part-time attendance (less than 12 credits per semester) at any point proved to be detrimental to the ability of students to complete degrees. But continuous part-time enrollment is less damaging than excessive stop-out periods.
4) Earn at least four credits in the summer
5) Do not withdraw from or repeat courses unless it is absolutely necessary. No-penalty withdrawals hinder degree completion and may be the principal cause of increased time-to-degree.
6) If you have academic trouble in the first academic year, the second year is crucial because many students recapture their momentum in the second year and complete gateway courses in basic subjects.

Students are not passively passing through an academic pipeline to college completion. They can be active in creating their own path to college success.

Labels: College Completion