Rees Hughes, former director of Student Life, with significant support from graduate student Sheila Pierre and other campus staff, has taken a serious look at this question. The findings are in the recently released report “Why Do Second Year Students Leave HSU?”
The study examined all and interviewed many of the 178 students who began as first-year students at HSU during the fall 2006 semester and were still enrolled fall 2007 but were no longer attending HSU by fall 2008. It found that for most students who leave there is no single reason for departure. However, academic performance is seen as a leading indicator of whether students remain at HSU. Of the 178 students who didn’t return for their third year, 44 percent had grade point averages under 2.00. When grade records were examined, these students tended to experience academic problems beginning their first semester at HSU.
Together, a lack of local jobs and disruptions in family finances were cited as the second most frequent reason for departing from HSU. The desire to be closer to home was third and institutional fit fourth.
Overall, students seem to be willing to shoulder the blame for not continuing their education here. Offering comments like “I did poorly overall as a student,” and “I was really lazy,” more than 80 percent of those who were disappointed with their academic record at Humboldt State attributed it to their own poor performance. Additionally, three quarters of the surveyed students reported that HSU could have done nothing that might have helped them stay or better supported them in their experience at HSU.
The report looked at the ethnicities of students who departed from HSU, but was careful to note that low numbers of ethnic students reporting in the survey made finding relevant patterns difficult. Nonetheless, the retention of Native American and black students in this particular cohort was very concerning.
Interestingly some non-factors were also discovered: weather, concerns of quality of faculty and gender did not appear as noteworthy reasons for students’ departures. And despite what one might expect from students who have chosen to leave HSU, most rated their educational experience at HSU as “good” or “excellent.” Comments like “Being at a UC now, I realize HSU’s redeeming qualities,” underscore the extent to which the decision to leave Humboldt State is often personal and can be attributed to a variety of reasons.
In his recommendations, Hughes advocates for the early identification and follow-up with at-risk students. He suggests requiring all under-performing students to enroll in a one-unit course that incorporates assessment, intrusive advising and career and major planning. Hughes also notes that students who haven’t chosen a major by the end of their second year are at especial risk for leaving HSU.
The study also documents the poor retention rates of students admitted by exception and with English and math remediation requirements. Hughes believes that no single factor would have a greater impact on retention rates than increasing admission selectivity, which the California State University is enforcing through reduced budgets.
"The response to this is that the mandate of the CSU is to provide access. We don't want to lose underrepresented students because they don't meet our criteria of quality. If we do admit people we have to make sure we have the support in place to make sure they're successful."
In addition, the study points to other schools that have attempted to stem the sophomore slump by repackaging existing campus programs—like study abroad, internship and volunteer opportunities—for second-year students. The idea is to engage second-year students after the newness of college has worn off and before they undertake major coursework.
The study also suggests making the re-enrollment process for lapsed students as easy as possible in hopes of converting drop outs to “stop outs”—students who eventually return to HSU after an extended absence.
Of course, Hughes says any efforts to fight the sophomore slump must be mounted by the university as a whole, with the entire campus community participating.
The report is rich in detail that touches on the full student experience at HSU. To download the entire study, click http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/Download/vpoffice/sophomore_retention_study.pdf