2008 Woodie Awards
Freshmen retention rates more important than dropout
Allen Kirmss
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
Originally published: 11/29/07 at 6:39 PM EST
Last update: 11/29/07 at 6:38 PM EST
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Mike Zimmerman is a freshman from Clifton Park. He came to Plattsburgh State because he liked the campus, what the college had to offer and the fact that a lot of teachers from his high school graduated from here as well.
In his junior year of high school, Zimmerman met a teacher who really inspired him to base his future on earning an education degree at college.
However, at the end of this semester, Zimmerman won't be continuing his pursuit at receiving a bachelor's degree in education. Instead, he is enlisting in the United States Navy - something he said he always was fascinated with.
"School is just not for me," he said. "I tried it but I'm not really sure what I want to be, and joining the Army was something I was always interested in."
But after his parents and friends told him that joining the Army was risky, especially now with a war in Iraq, Zimmerman decided to join the Navy instead.
In two weeks, when all his essays are handed in and all his tests are taken, Zimmerman will embark on a new chapter in his life. - a life that does not involve sitting in a classroom, one where taking efficient notes isn't a life or death matter.
"I'm not giving up," he said. "If I decide that I would like to continue teaching, I'll be back at college."
Although Zimmerman isn't alone in his decision to leave school, PSUC has been seeing smaller percentages of freshman leaving after their first semester and/or year.
Whether it be for academic dismissal, transferring to another school, withdrawing from school altogether or personal reasons like Zimmerman, freshmen attrition is something that PSUC focuses on and tries to prevent.
"We don't look at dropout, we look at retention," Bob Karp, who works at the office of institutional research said.
During the fall 06 to fall 07 year, the overall retention rate of students at PSUC was 81.4 percent, leaving the attrition rate at 18.6 percent according to the Attrition/Retention Statistics for Undergraduate Matriculated Students.
In his junior year of high school, Zimmerman met a teacher who really inspired him to base his future on earning an education degree at college.
However, at the end of this semester, Zimmerman won't be continuing his pursuit at receiving a bachelor's degree in education. Instead, he is enlisting in the United States Navy - something he said he always was fascinated with.
"School is just not for me," he said. "I tried it but I'm not really sure what I want to be, and joining the Army was something I was always interested in."
But after his parents and friends told him that joining the Army was risky, especially now with a war in Iraq, Zimmerman decided to join the Navy instead.
In two weeks, when all his essays are handed in and all his tests are taken, Zimmerman will embark on a new chapter in his life. - a life that does not involve sitting in a classroom, one where taking efficient notes isn't a life or death matter.
"I'm not giving up," he said. "If I decide that I would like to continue teaching, I'll be back at college."
Although Zimmerman isn't alone in his decision to leave school, PSUC has been seeing smaller percentages of freshman leaving after their first semester and/or year.
Whether it be for academic dismissal, transferring to another school, withdrawing from school altogether or personal reasons like Zimmerman, freshmen attrition is something that PSUC focuses on and tries to prevent.
"We don't look at dropout, we look at retention," Bob Karp, who works at the office of institutional research said.
During the fall 06 to fall 07 year, the overall retention rate of students at PSUC was 81.4 percent, leaving the attrition rate at 18.6 percent according to the Attrition/Retention Statistics for Undergraduate Matriculated Students.
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