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Study: Many Students Who Quit College Are Close to Completion

时间:2018-08-19 09:48:18

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(单词翻译)

 

Oscar Olson did not seek higher education after completing high school because he had a strong wish to earn a college degree. The Massachusetts native says the main reason he decided1 to go to college was because most of the people he knew were doing so.

Olson began studying communications at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 2004. He made good friends and enjoyed many of his experiences there.

But, Olson says he often felt unsure about why he was there or what he was doing.

He successfully completed the first three years of his study program. But by the time Olson reached what would have been his final semester2 in spring of 2008, he lost interest in the work his program required of him.

By the end of that school year, the friends he began the four-year college process with were graduating.

Olson, however, failed to complete his final class.

His parents were not pleased. Olson says they expected him to try harder. So he returned to Bridgewater to try to complete the few requirements he had left.

But, he told VOA, “I already kind of knew that it wasn’t going to happen.”

By the start of his fifth year, Olson had to begin repaying3 the loans4 he had used to pay for the costs of his education. He struggled financially.

Also by that time, the friends he had made were gone. And his academic advisors5 had changed several time. Olson began feeling less connected to his educational experience. So he decided to leave Bridgewater without earning his degree.

Olson’s story is not unusual.

The United States Department of Education reports that, between 2014 and 2016, millions of college and university students left school without a degree.

Recent research now suggests that many U.S. college students who drop out have actually already completed most of their program requirements.

The organization Civitas Learning6 studies and supports the growth of higher education in the United States. In May, it released7 a study of 30 two-year and 23 four-year colleges and universities. The study included more than 300,000 degree-seeking students.

The study found that on average, nearly one in five students who left school without a degree had completed at least 75 percent of their program requirements. And nearly one in 10 had completed at least 90 percent.

Mark Milliron is the chief learning officer at Civitas. He says there are many reasons why students choose to leave school before graduating. As with Oscar Olson, cost can be one reason. However, it is far from the only reason, Milliron says.

He notes that in recent years, many U.S. colleges and universities have aimed to improve access to higher education. This means schools have tried to find ways to include minorities, low-income students and students who would be the first in their families to go to college.

There also has been a push to help older students enter or return to higher education.

These efforts are good for the students, the schools and the country, Milliron says. But he says schools need to do more to help those students succeed once they are at college.

It is not that these newly9 represented groups are not able to perform well in a college environment, Milliron says. In fact, earlier Civitas studies suggest that many students who drop out are actually performing well in school.

Milliron suggests the real issue is that traditional and non-traditional students have different levels of support in place.

Life can create barriers to any student’s completion. Students may deal with health problems, full-time10 work requirements, or childcare needs.

But traditional students – those who have family members that have attended college or have enough money to pay for school – usually have support systems in place. The people around them often understand the struggles of getting a college education. They can offer the students advice. And they also can offer financial help.

However, poor or first-generation students are less likely to have people around them who can help deal with these barriers, Milliron says. So, it has become the responsibility of the schools to provide those supports.

“Students have to be college ready, but colleges have to be student ready, especially for the students of today, who…have a lot of different kinds of wants and needs,” Milliron says.

What does that mean, exactly? Take the efforts of Del Mar8 College, a community college in Corpus Christi, Texas, as an example. Del Mar serves a mainly Hispanic population. So in 2016, the Department of Education awarded the school with money to help its minority population by employing special academic advisors. Del Mar also partnered with Civitas to determine what else it could do to increase its graduation rate.

Civitas shared special software with Del Mar. The software helped the school identify 3,000 of its students who were likely to drop out. Administrators12 then used this information to increase the amount of contact they had with these students. The more likely the students were to drop out, the more communications the students received from the school.

The communications included reminders13 of the requirements the students still needed to meet, as well as invitations to special advisory14 events.

Improving the lines of communication seemed to help, says Rito Silva, Del Mar’s vice11 president of student affairs.

Through its efforts, Del Mar was able to increase its number of students who successfully graduated by almost 74 percent in 2017.

Both Silva and Milliron agree that there is no single solution to the problem. Every college and university is different; it is their responsibility to research and experiment with what works15 best for their students, they say.

But Silva argues that schools must work just as hard on ensuring students succeed in college as they do on getting them to college in the first place.

“I really think those two go hand-in-hand,” he said. “It would be kind of a false hope that we’re giving them if we just give them access without the opportunity to succeed.”

I’m Pete Musto. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

degree – n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university

semester – n. one of two usually 18-week periods that make up an academic year at a school or college

graduating – v. earning a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education

drop out – p.v. to leave school without completing the educational program

access – n. a way of being able to use or get something

income – n. money that is earned from work, investments16, or business

determine – v. to learn or find out something by getting information

invitation(s) – n. a written or spoken request for someone to go somewhere or to do something

hand-in-hand – adv. closely17 connected

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
2 semester XDJzN     
n.一学期,半学年,六个月的时间
参考例句:
  • A student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.每个学生一学期可能要修四五门课程。
  • I had an especially rough time during my first semester.我第一个学期的日子难受极了。
3 repaying 078e85236986e0435ac7181b78646bcc     
偿还( repay的现在分词 ); 付还; 报答; 酬报
参考例句:
  • He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money. 他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。
  • It will deplete its cash balance by repaying last week's loan. 它会因偿付它上周的借款而耗尽它的现金余额。
4 loans f806527a4b4ecb554edad98174334a70     
n.借出物,借款( loan的名词复数 )v.借出,贷与(尤指钱)( loan的第三人称单数 );出借(贵重物品给博物馆等)
参考例句:
  • They are offering loans at extortionate rates of interest. 他们在放高利贷。
  • Government loans have been the salvation of several shaky business companies. 政府的贷款救活了几家濒临倒闭的公司。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 advisors 9c02a9c1778f1533c47ade215559070d     
n.顾问,劝告者( advisor的名词复数 );(指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授
参考例句:
  • The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网
6 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
7 released 23690fd759f17135ec9879b56ff2600c     
v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 );放开;发布;发行
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他,这倒容易。
8 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
9 newly cG7xE     
adv.新近,最近;重新,再度;以新的方式
参考例句:
  • Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗?
  • It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树,还没有扎下根来。
10 full-time SsBz42     
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
参考例句:
  • A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
  • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。
11 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
12 administrators d04952b3df94d47c04fc2dc28396a62d     
n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 );有管理(或行政)才能的人;(由遗嘱检验法庭指定的)遗产管理人;奉派暂管主教教区的牧师
参考例句:
  • He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员,但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
  • Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
13 reminders aaaf99d0fb822f809193c02b8cf69fba     
n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 );提醒…的东西;(告知该做某事的)通知单;提示信
参考例句:
  • The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
  • The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。
14 advisory lKvyj     
adj.劝告的,忠告的,顾问的,提供咨询
参考例句:
  • I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
  • He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。
15 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
16 investments a6dba6e72f1adaf693af15720bcbf55a     
n.投资( investment的名词复数 );投资额;(时间、精力的)投入;值得买的东西
参考例句:
  • With the markets being so volatile, investments are at great risk. 由于市场那么变化不定,投资冒着很大的风险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All their money was tied up in long-term investments. 他们所有的钱都搁死在长线投资上了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 closely XwNzIh     
adv.紧密地;严密地,密切地
参考例句:
  • We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
  • The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

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