Abstract
An undergraduate degree remains one of the most important factors in securing a job after college. Completing college or getting a high school diploma is not enough. Students need to obtain a degree, which is the real measure of success in college. This may be achieved through three main approaches as indicated in this paper: improving academic self-efficacy; supporting the needs of students; and through assessment and feedback.
Introduction
There is a constantly increasing importance for obtaining an undergraduate degree. This comes against a backdrop of the problems of student retention, which continue to be costly to individual students, families and universities. Research shows that individuals over 25 years who have a bachelor’s degree have a median income that is 35% higher than individuals that have just completed college but do not have a degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). In addition to this, individuals with an undergraduate degree have a better chance of securing a good job. Despite these facts, only 55% of students who enroll full-time for the first time in a 4-year institution are earning a degree. This essay provides information on how students can become successful in college.
First, one approach to student success in college is by improving academic self-efficacy. This is the student’s confidence in their ability to be successful in their college tasks. However, the student experience in college is not just about academics. This has led to the expansion of academic self-efficacy to college self-efficacy (Wright, Jenkins-Guarnieri & Murdock, 2012). Increased self-efficacy is associated with increase academic success as well as persistence through college. For a student to be successful, they have to believe in their ability to succeed in college academic as well as in the social experience provided by the college. Improving academic and social self-efficacy of students may be achieved through mentoring relationships and increased support systems. College and career counselors can improve the self-efficacy of students, and eventually their academic success by encouraging them to identify mentors and joint activities related to college success.
Secondly, institutions should support the needs of students. Attentive leadership contributes to success for college students. This happens when attentive leadership is accompanied by intentional institutional practices for student success and degree completion. To achieve this, targeted services and programs implemented during the first year of study improve the students’ readiness to academics. Supplemental instruction for courses that have high rates of failure may also improve student outcomes (Rath, Rock & Laferriere, 2013). The encouragement of affinity groups, made up of students with common likes, goals and interests help institutions have a closer interaction with students, and this has been noted to contribute to student success. Involvement with peers, faculty and staff members especially in classroom-related activities leads to important social affiliations and support which are all necessary for success in the classroom.
Thirdly, assessment and feedback is a proven approach for improving student success. Students are likely to succeed in classroom where they are assessed and provided with frequent feedback regarding their performance. This is important because it enables them, their faculty and staff to adjust in a manner that promotes better student success academically (Rath, Rock & Laferriere, 2013). This is important especially in the first year when students are in the process of trying to match their behavior to the social and academic demands of college life.
Conclusion
Success in college may be equated to the attainment of a degree. There are different approaches which may be used to make students successful in college. First is by improving the academic and college self-efficacy. This is improving the belief that students can excel academically and socially in college. Secondly, institutions should support the needs of students. This is achieved through attentive leadership, which provides students with opportunities to interact with their peers, staff and faculty to foster success. Thirdly, assessment and feedback creates focus and elicits responses aimed at improvement.
References
Rath, Rock., & Laferriere, A. (2013). Pathways through College: Strategies for Improving Community College Student Success . Our Piece of the Pie, 3(2), 6-28.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2011).Income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2010(Current population reports, P60-239). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved March 9, 2012, from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/publications/reports.html
Wright, S. L., Jenkins-Guarnieri, M. A., & Murdock, J. L. (2012). Career Development Among First-Year College Students: College Self-Efficacy, Student Persistence, and Academic Success. Journal of Career Development, 40(4), 292-310.
