3 things your students need to succeed: a research cheat sheet
TRANSCRIPT
3 THINGSYOUR STUDENTS NEED TO
SUCCEED
A COLLEGE DEGREE
has never been
so important
over the span of a l ifetime
COLLEGE GRADS will earn an extra
ONE MILLION DOLLAR$
over HIGH SCHOOL grads
AND THE GAP
is only
GROWING
SO WHY ARE FEWER THAN
1 IN 2COLLEGE STUDENTS GRADUATING?
to find out, we reviewed
over two dozen articles
ON STUDENT PERSISTENCE
and a clear
PATTERNEMERGED
THERE ARE
3 thingsEVERY STUDENT NEEDS TO
succeed
NO. 1
PURPOSE
RETENTION RESEARCH
suggests that student commitment
to educational and
CAREER GOALS. . .
. . . is perhaps the
STRONGEST FACTOR associated with student persistence to
DEGREE COMPLETION—Joe Cuseo, Marymount Col lege
75%OF STUDENTS ENTERING COLLEGE
DON’T KNOWWHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH
THEIR DEGREE—Susan H. Frost, Emory University
IT’S
NO WONDERSO MANY CONSIDER
DROPPING OUT
AFTER ALL,
THEY DON’T KNOW WHY they’re in college
IN THE FIRST PLACE
whereas the successful student is
MOTIVATED to follow-through.. .
by a
CLEARPURPOSE
NO. 2
PATHS
WHEN PLANS REMAIN UNFORMULATED
over extended periods of time,
students are MORE LIKELY to depart without
completing their degree programs
—Vincent Tinto, Syracuse University
even when a student has a goal, it ’s
criticalthey know how to achieve it
BECAUSE WITHOUT A PLAN
students tend to
wander aimlessly
it ’s no wonder
THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO TAKE
5+ years TO GRADUATE HAS
DOUBLEDMartin Kramer, New Directions for Higher Education
AND IT’S EQUALLY CLEAR THAT STUDENTS
need a pathway to successIN ORDER TO REACH
THE TOP
NO. 3
PEOPLE
students with
“GOOD QUALITY” ADVISORS ARE
40% LESS LIKELYTO DROP OUT
than those with no advisors
—Barbara S. Metzner, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
EVEN THE MOST
GOAL-ORIENTED,D R I V E N S T U D E N T S A R E B O U N D T O
RUN INTO CHALLENGES A L O N G T H E W A Y
students who feel l ike part of the
CAMPUS COMMUNITY TEND TO
OVERCOMEthose challenges while others do not
—Patrick Terenzini, Penn State University
WHY?
“because” if you’re supported by a
WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS
all rooting for you to succeed,
YOU’RE LESS LIKELY TO GIVE UP, no matter how daunting the odds
SO,
THERE YOU HAVE IT
A CHEAT SHEETFOR HOW TO TURN YOUR
institutionINTO A STUDENT OUTCOMES
SUPERSTAR
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN HOW
LEARNING RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT CAN HELP ENSURE
ALLYOUR STUDENTS HAVE:
NO. 1
PURPOSE
NO. 2
CLEAR
PATHS
NO. 3
AND THE RIGHT
PEOPLETO SUPPORT THEM ALONG THE WAY
