Up for discussion: Helping students succeed

Will you graduate from UC Davis? That was the question posed to undergraduates in an e-mail survey last January.

Nearly 6,000 students responded, and their answers may surprise you: While most of those undergraduates (87 percent) were confident they would graduate, 13 percent were not so sure.

"This survey was designed to give us the human side or an explanation of why students don’t complete their education at UC Davis," says Ward Stewart, chair of the Student Transition and Retention (STAR) committee that requested the survey.

Student Affairs Research and Information, a campus unit, conducted the survey.

The 13 percent of students who were not confident that they would graduate from UC Davis ("not sure," "think it’s unlikely" or "sure I won’t"), answered additional questions to explain why they felt that way.

Half of them cited academic difficulty, 33 percent answered that they had a lack of mentorship or proper guidance, and 30 percent identified financial difficulty as the source of their concern. Some were simply planning to transfer to another four-year college.

"From this survey, a lot of students are seeing academic difficulty as a problem," says Stewart, who is also director of the Learning Skills Center. "Getting a handle on that early on is important."

Resources available

Whether that means students need to adjust their course load, find a better academic fit with their skills or seek help in other areas, Stewart encourages students to access the appropriate resources on campus sooner rather than later.

The center offers students help in math, writing, science, study skills and time management. If a student is stressed or having other difficulties, he or she can visit Counseling and Psychological Services, the Internship and Career Center, or Advising Services.

Attrition rates

In its report, the STAR committee noted that freshmen have a seven percent average attrition rate and a 12 percent attrition rate after two years.

"Why they leave isn’t entirely clear," says Lora Jo Bossio, interim associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs. "But some of what we’re looking at in the STAR report is what we can do as a campus to decrease those numbers."

The STAR committee said there was a need for an early detection system to identify students struggling after the first set of midterms. The committee is also evaluating current mentoring opportunities and experiences to see how they can be enhanced for students.

"Parents can be an integral part of the early detection system," Stewart says. "Talk to your student, listen to their concerns and then help them seek advice from the appropriate resource on campus."