<p>College results online lists hampshire's four-year graduation rate as 51%, five years 60%. My son is interested in the college but it seems to me there's a true structural problem with the program if 1 out of 2 kids are not graduating in four years. I'm not sure how I could send my kid there with those odds, there are similar schools with much higher graduation rates.</p>
<p>thoughts?</p>
<p>Hi - I asked my son about this (he’s finishing his third year at Hampshire). He’s seen a few of his friends transfer from Hampshire and his feeling overall is they thought Hampshire was something it’s not - easy. Also, it’s definitely not the right place for a student who’s not a focused self-starter. The academic freedom is wonderful but needs to be managed. My son thinks a lot of kids come to Hampshire thinking because of the open curriculum that it’s a piece of cake - it’s anything but. So that’s his thoughts on the above numbers. For the students who do stay, they seem to thrive. My son certainly has. He’s been incredibly well supported academically. My son also is deaf and has been incredibly well supported in that regard too.</p>
<p>Yeah, Hampshire has had a relatively low graduation and retention rate (compared to similar liberal arts colleges) for quite a few years now; certainly at least since 2004, which was when I started looking at such details. However, the average nationwide college 4-year graduation rate is only 41%. That is the same 4-year rate for my state (Washington), and the 6-year grad rate is still only 69%. Also, in contrast, the 4-year grad rate for UMass is 52%, 77% for Smith, 74% for Mt. Holyoke, 90% for Amherst. </p>
<p>I agree that a large part of this stems from disillusioned students who had unrealistic expectations for their Hampshire College experience. In fact, although students tailor their own ‘major’, this process occurs under the supervision and approval of an advisor and faculty committee. A student attempting to develop an incoherent or non-rigorous course of study will discover that their committee will be rejecting such proposals. </p>
<p>Also, students quickly learn that ‘no grades’ is a very far cry from ‘no evaluation’. Mediocre work, poor attendance and missing assignments will yield a critical written evaluation that looks a lot worse than a mere ‘C’ grade. Lastly, students are expected to take initiative in forming a faculty committee, developing a course of study and completing the documentation and portfolio required to meet degree requirements.</p>
<p>All of the above combine to cause some students to realize that they may not be in the best place. Add to that the fact that Hampshire is expensive and students/families may be deciding that a lower-cost college could be a better financial solution. </p>
<p>It looks like Hampshire is attempting to address their retention issues. President Jonathan Lash just sent out a letter to alumni and families, including this paragraph:</p>
<p>"…we interviewed students who are flourishing in order to figure out what qualities help them get the most from our curriculum. Using what we learned, we’re now orienting our admission program to bring to Hampshire those students who are the right fit for our unique approach. This means that as we make admissions even more selective, class sizes will be smaller…</p>