I just read that Freshman retention rate of some of top universities is as follows:
Harvard 97%
Stanford 98%
MIT 98%
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return
Anyone with real life experiences why someone would leave these prestigious universities that are so difficult to get in? How many transfer out? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Is it that hard to imagine? You get a pool of 2,000 people and you can’t imagine 40-60 of them just addled by life? Illness, family circumstances – athletes who transfer. Any number of reasons.
Financial reasons?
Amazing job offers?
Family trouble?
Harvard has a freshman class size of what, like 2,000 students? A 97% retention rate means that 1,940 students are returning. 60 students is really not a big number at all…
I had a friend growing up leave Harvard his first year for mental issues. Started hearing voices and so went home to get treatment and was never able to return to college sadly. Life happens. Finances change. Loved ones need caring for. Kids make mistakes and even high-achievers can get lost in all the freedom that first year. Some kids get frustrated in what they feel is spinning their wheels in college when they could jump right into the real world (and some kids really can… plenty of Stanford drop-outs doing fantastic things.) Believe it or not, some kids flat out aren’t happy at Harvard.
Most of the kids in these colleges stay. The schools first year retention rates aren’t all that different from their 4 year graduation rates. We looked at a state college with an 88 percent first year retention rate… sounds nice right? Same school had a 14 percent 4-year graduation rate and only managed to get to 47 percent on the 6-year graduation scale. THAT is a little more shocking.
Wondering if, because the colleges have quota system, they bypass some deserving students to admit someone else with a particular talent who may not be the best fit academically? And then the Cs and Ds happen?
That’s a stretch
peach: one of the reasons they have such high retention rates is the multiple advising and support services they provide. Your hypothesis in #4 is baseless – there are no guarantees with anyone.
Uh, what quota system? No, please let’s not go there.
Thanks T26E4, jamesjunkers, turtletime and irlandaise for sharing your thoughts!