<p>Yes, Tulane has been hit with a number of things that would lower their retention rate. </p>
<p>Tech type schools also tend to have low retention rates. The atmosphere just might not be what a kid wants in a college.</p>
<p>My H went to Tulane. From the stories he tells, you need to be a very organized and focused student there – especially thru Feb and March with the lure of Mardi Gras not that far away. As for the southern racist remark… he is very much discouraging his children from attending schools in the deeper south. He feels they were at least a generation behind in terms of racial stereotypes 20 some years ago, so for a true northerner in a very liberal leaning state, it might be a culture shock for sure.</p>
<p>I also agree with the red herring. And I also agree that too much partying may not be any part of the equation for the kid not ready for college. It’s very much about organization and time management. Juggling all the things that college requires is not for everyone at the exact same time. </p>
<p>One friend of S’s left Colgate after one semester (she felt there was too much partying) and transferred to Scripps, but then she only lasted about two weeks there before coming home. I have not heard reasons. Two boys did not go back for second semester due to suffering grades. While they could have done second semester on probation, in these cases both sets of parents pulled them out for a semester of maturing before they will likely try again next fall. With none of their friends really at home, I think they are learning pretty quickly that a “real” job and living with their parents is not where they want to be.</p>
<p>I know of several people who as recruited athletes were all gung ho and lasted about a year at sub par schools and/or bad fits in other ways. This is why it was very important for us to not encourage our S to continue talking to a coach when he had no interest in the school. So what happens? He gets into a great school and loves it whether he plays or not. Bad news is, he has to try and walk on the team. Stress city.</p>
<p>I don’t think “too much partying” is the only indication someone isn’t ready for college. I believe too much partying is AN indication someone is not ready for college.</p>
<p>menloparkmom - I agree with what you said in general about Tulane and retention, and I will speculate that there may be one other factor. Again it is speculation although there is some logic to it. A number of the posts on here talked about kids not being ready to be so far from home. Tulane has something like 75% of its students coming from more than 500 miles away, supposedly the most in the country. That could also factor in a couple of percentage points.</p>
<p>OK, I decided to see if there was updated info and in fact Tulane’s retention rate for this last year was 90.7%, so it really improved. In discussing factors that impacted the low retention rates in the past, they cited finances and distance (exactly as I speculated) as two major reasons. Another reason, surprising to me, was this:
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<p>So they had a deficiency but have moved to correct this since that quote. So to summarize, while of course there are people for which Tulane just is not a fit for factors not having to do with money and/or distance, it doesn’t appear to largely be a problem with people being unhappy there. Which makes sense since Tulane ranked #10 for Happiest Students.</p>
<p>I will also slightly correct you on the engineering thing. They retained two engineering majors, Biomedical and Chemical. But they did indeed eliminate majors in EE, ME, CE, and a couple others I think, as well as Computer Science.</p>
<p>Some students are lured to UMiami by the sun, surf and trappings of South Beach. What they forget about are the tough academics that require hard work and discipline. They buy into the old, outdated reputation as “Suntan U”, but times have changed. UM is a work hard, learn hard, play hard school and those that aren’t focused and disciplined can find themselves on a very expensive, short lived vacation. Many of those that don’t return were surprised to find out it’s not all a day at the beach. ;)</p>
<p>URochester: the skies too gloomy, the weather too cold and snowy, the distance: too far away from home, too far away from all his friends, the school: missing a central place to hang out, the kids: not accepting / hard to make friends</p>
<p>Many of those that don’t return were surprised to find out it’s not all a day at the beach</p>
<p>I think that’s often true for many kids. Often, they didn’t have to study much in high school or they rarely had any homework. Then, they get to college and expect to just coast along.</p>
<p>My friends son left Hiram. He was a walk on athlete (lineman) for football and as soon as football ended (and he had nothing to occupy his spare time) he realized that he absolutely hated everything about the school - the atmosphere, the professors, the lack of classes he wanted, being in an all football player/athlete dorm, etc. So one weekend he seriously just packed up his SUV and came home and never went back. This school was obviously not a “fit” for him and he probably would have never considered it, except it was the only school where he could play football (which he hated too but stuck it out for the season so he wouldn’t “look like a loser”)!</p>
<p>This is a really useful thread. Am glad (again) that S2 is using academics/personal fit as his selection points, not the sports team on which he’d like to play, and that he has been honest in telling coaches just that.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how I feel about kids leaving a college. On the one hand, after all the hoopla of applications and making a decision, changing one’s mind seems like a failure. On the other hand, I think, get a grip! Young people should not feel bad about changing direction! One can’t start in a new direction while holding onto the old.</p>
<p>During applications, the process feels like courtship and marriage. But truly, transferring is not much different than changing jobs. If the students happily settle on a new track, then the transfer can be a huge growth experience. The students become more certain their path in life is up to them, more confident that one project can be wrapped up and another begun. Perhaps they begin to view this whole process of making a life more flexibly.</p>
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<p>I agree with this poster.</p>
<p>It’s difficult for many high school students to assess what kind of college will be a good fit, and even if they have some idea of what they want, it can be hard to determine, based on a visit and hearsay, if they will find what they want at a given college.</p>
<p>My d has a friend who left Boston College because it was a poor fit socially.</p>
<p>I have yet to hear of a person who did not like Penn State…I wonder why.</p>
<p>Quest- I know many kids who transferred out of Penn State. Too big, too far, too loud, dorms which are noisy and chaotic into the wee hours… there are many kids who get there and discover it’s a poor choice.</p>
<p>questbest - If you consider seeing data “hearing of”, then all you have to do is look at the retention rate.</p>
<p>I think some kids leave college because the college experience itself can feel meaningless. This would have little to do with the specific college. Some of these students return later, when they find direction, and some don’t. I wish our society valued other paths more, the way they used to.</p>
<p>great thread; </p>
<p>fendrock: what you posted makes this process all the more difficult; I guess it’s a good idea to give HS kids a “heads up” on the “nothing’s perfect” speech before starting out…</p>
<p>Rodney - totally agree. Like so many things, the media and others tend to make things either really good or really bad. I would feel comfortable in saying the VAST majority of kids find college life great, if not perfect, and are happy where they are. When it doesn’t work out, though, it can be pretty miserable i am sure.</p>
<p>Mine almost left her small LAC after freshmen year but ended up staying. One thing that changed is they do rush sophmore year and joining a sorority helped. She complained freshmen year that “everyone” drank too much- she couldn’t relate to “anyone” - there was no one in her dorm that she liked. Turned out, her best friends now lived in that dorm, down the hall from her and even next door. She found them through her sorority, not the dorm.
My nephew left U Conn after freshman year and transferred to U of Tulsa. He was adamant senior year that he knew what he wanted, a big sports college. He didn’t listen when he was given advice. U Conn is very much a commuter college and they play their sports 45 minutes away in Hartford. He’s very happy now.</p>
<p>*I guess it’s a good idea to give HS kids a “heads up” on the “nothing’s perfect” speech before starting out… *</p>
<p>OMG…that is soooo true…</p>
<p>Every child needs to be told…</p>
<p>“No school is perfect. Every school is going to have some people that you won’t like or a few profs that are boring or whatever. Every school is going to have a rule, a requirement, a policy, a fee, or something that you’re not going to like.”</p>
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<p>Well, there are 141 comments on the students review site and 33 are negative. While that’s not a big percentage, you do see a pattern in the negative reviews.</p>