Less than 25 percent of the students who enrolled at The University of Memphis in 1995 have earned a degree, according to the Office of Institutional Research, or OIR, at The U of M.
That is a relatively low number when compared to the national average. According to the American College Testing Service, nearly 42 percent of students at public universities earn degrees within five years.
Data from the OIR show that between 1987 and 1999, 47 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen left The U of M after their first two years. According to Don Carson, vice president for Student Affairs and vice provost for Enrollment Services, around 20 percent of these students, nationally, later return to college and graduate.
The largest percentage of student attrition occurred in the first year, in which 28 percent of students were lost. Attrition dropped slightly in the second year, with the other 19 percent not enrolling for a third fall semester.
How can students stay in school and graduate?
“Make school a priority, not just something to do when you have nothing else to do,” Carson said. “Put school at the top of the list.”
Carson also said that the students who are not sure where higher education is on their priority list are usually the ones who drop out and never set foot inside a classroom again. According to Carson, the people who decide to make education a major part of their lives will return to school and eventually succeed.
Carson said evenif students have a hard time selecting majors or change their majors (the average student changes majors 3 times in the course of a college career), they will succeed as long as they decide that education is a vital component of their lives.
Carson also suggests that students make “good, meaningful connections” with The U of M and University staff, like professors or guidance counselors. Carson suggests that students take part in activities on and off campus to make The U of M “their University.”
Carson suggests actually spending time in class and taking notes. He said there is a direct correlation between good attendance and good grades — students really do get out of school what they put in.
For students in academic trouble, Carson suggests telling somebody — a guidance counselor or professor — and working with them to find a way through the problem.
