Educators Seek to Re-Admit Students Who Left College Without Degrees

 

Completing a degree program at a college or university can be one of the best things you do to improve your chances of success in life. Higher education is a necessity¹ for many of the best paying jobs in the United States and other countries.

But earning a degree can also be in one of the most difficult things you will ever attempt.

In 2019, a non-profit group noted² that 36 million Americans had started on a path towards a degree, but stopped before completing their studies. That number came from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

In 2016, the European Union found that 3 million young people throughout its member nations had suspended³ their university education.

In 2017, the World Bank reported that across South America, nearly half of all 25 to 29-year-olds had stopped attending higher education without earning a degree. And, South African officials have reported similar levels in their country.

Nichole Torpey-Sayboe says there are many reasons why people leave U.S. higher education without earning a degree. And the difficulty of college degree programs is not the top reason people give for leaving, she adds.

Torpey-Sayboe is director of research for the Strada Education Network. In December, her group, working with the research company Gallup, released⁴ a report on why over 42,000 Americans left school without a degree.

Researchers found the most common reason people gave for leaving was the difficulty of balancing work with their college or university studies. Other reasons were the high cost of higher education and the fact that many students failed to see how their studies related⁵ to a career, Torpey-Sayboe says.

As for why so few consider returning to complete their education, she told VOA many Americans feel there is little chance of them succeeding if they do.

"They are afraid that they've been away from the classroom too long or they're just worried that the same situations that caused them to drop out before might still be there and make it difficult to be successful if they try again," she said.

Torpey-Sayboe suggests the problem in the United States is not just that these individuals have less of a chance of finding⁶ good-paying jobs. These men and women still have to repay⁷ loans⁸ they took out to pay for their education. And since they will likely have less access to better positions, they will struggle to repay that debt.

This makes an already difficult situation for people who are poor or come from an underrepresented group in higher education that much harder, notes Justin Ortagus.

Ortagus is an assistant professor of higher education policy at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He believes that students like these are often the most likely to drop out.

"If you're a low income, first generation student, you don't necessarily⁹ have a parent to say, ‘This is what you need to do to enroll¹⁰' ... or ‘These are the types of courses you need to take to ensure you're up to date in your individual major.' You kind of have to learn on the fly and really rely on under-resourced institutions to provide the support and services that you need," he said.

Yet Ortagus thinks there is hope. Last month he and two other University of Florida researchers released a study on efforts to re-admit students at two-year community colleges across the state.

Community colleges largely¹¹ serve poor and minority students, many who are working in full-time¹² positions and supporting families. Federal¹³ studies show that only about 30 percent of individuals who start their education at such schools earn a degree.

However, the study showed that community colleges were able to help students return in two ways. First, the schools started sending text messages to over 27,000 former students on their mobile¹⁴ phones. The messages provided¹⁵ links so they could immediately enroll in classes or get advice about the next best steps in their education.

The community colleges also offered to pay students for their first class once they decided¹⁶ to return to school. The text messages alone had little effect. But the two efforts together made the individuals in the study 21 percent more likely to re-enroll.

Ortagus argues that this demonstrates¹⁷ how a little financial aid, in this case about $300, can do a lot for those in need. And eventually the cost to the school is covered when the students are in a better position to pay for the rest of their education.

Nichole Torpey-Sayboe says these efforts are a good start. But she argues there are still greater changes that need to be made to the entire structure of U.S. higher education.

Torpey-Sayboe says one can see evidence of this in the growing popularity¹⁸ of internet-based degree programs. She thinks colleges and universities need to consider offering more classes outside of normal business hours. And, she says lawmakers need to consider giving more money to schools that serve needy¹⁹ students so they can improve their guidance services.

Words in This Story

degree – n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university

drop out – p.v. to stop attending a school or university before you have completed your studies

access – n. a way of being able to use or get something

enroll – v. to enter someone as a member of or participant in something

course(s) – n. a group of classes that lead to a degree

major – n. the main subject studied by a college or university student

on the fly – n. quickly and often without preparation

rely on – p.v. to need someone or something for support or help

institution(s) – n. an established organization

mobile – adj. able to move from one place to another

1 necessity   

n.必要性，需要；必需品

参考例句：

• I look upon this as an absolute necessity.我认为这是绝对必要的。
• You must understand the necessity of education.你必须懂得教育的必要性。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

5 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

6 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

7 repay   

v.偿还，报答，还钱给

参考例句：

• I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
• I must repay her for her kindness.我必须报答她的恩惠。

8 loans   

n.借出物，借款( loan的名词复数 )v.借出，贷与（尤指钱）( loan的第三人称单数 )；出借（贵重物品给博物馆等）

参考例句：

• They are offering loans at extortionate rates of interest. 他们在放高利贷。
• Government loans have been the salvation of several shaky business companies. 政府的贷款救活了几家濒临倒闭的公司。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

10 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

11 largely   

adv.大部分，主要地

参考例句：

• It is largely dependent on the weather.这多半取决于天气情况。
• Their conclusions were largely founded on guesswork.他们的结论大部份基于猜测。

12 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

13 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

14 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

15 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 demonstrates   

举行示威游行（或集会）( demonstrate的第三人称单数 )； 示范。展示； 显示； 论证

参考例句：

• I hope this message demonstrates my feelings to the students. 我希望这个祝词能表达出我对学生们的感情。
• I hope this demonstrates to you how I feel. 我希望这能向你表明我的感受。

18 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

19 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。