<p>I live in Tennessee and I hate to sound mean, but it does not surprise me that the University of Memphis has a bad rate of first time Freshman retention at all. They are historically known for having one of the worse rates of graduation in the entire state of Tennessee. I looked on their web site out of curiosity and they do all of their stats to reflect students who took five years or more to graduate and I feel that such a thing inflates what they claim about certain things. </p>
<p>Sorry. I just felt like venting. You know how sometimes folks stereotype the south? The University of Memphis really helps perpetuate really negative stereotypes about higher education in the state of Tennessee. Gosh, I just hate that soo much. I do not want to hate it, it is just that I do hate it (if that makes any sense).</p>
<p>I would definitely be VERY suspicious of a school that has NO info about how many kids lose merit scholarships due to grades. They should have that info & be able to break it down by % & #s as to when kids lose it--1st semester, 1st year of college, etc. They should also be able to tell you about any "grace" period given kids to help them adjust to college life. It is not unusual for freshmen to have some "bumpy times" adjusting to having much less supervision, no homework collected, & most/all of the grade riding on one or two projects/exams.
As I have posted, we turned down one school that offered our S 1/2 tuition because they said they'd ask him to withdraw from their school & lose his merit scholarship & everything if he missed 4-6 classes in a quarter even if due to chronic health conditions that the U was aware of & had documentation to substantiate it! We found this too onerous & punitive.</p>
<p>"even if due to chronic health conditions that the U was aware of"</p>
<p>This is inexcusable. It's one thing to have grade penalties for under-attendance, and quite another not to make accommodations for chronic health issues. I guess because it's a merit scholarship, they can get around the Americans with Disabilities Act. Still . . . </p>
<p>Actually each instructor at each U can set his/her individual policy RE attendance. This is what I've learned from all the schools we've spoken with & it doesn't really run afoul of ADA. Still the instructors take their cue from the Disabilities Office & the School in the U the kids are enrolled in. The school we chose for our child has a WONDERFUL & very helpful Disabilities Office who says they've worked with kids like my S & are confident that their profs will work with him to help him succeed. The Engineering School at that U (USC) also affirms that their instructors will work with the students & Disabilities Office. We're very pleased with son's experience at his U!</p>
<p>"Actually each instructor at each U can set his/her individual policy RE attendance. "</p>
<p>Not entirely true. I am required by my department to fail any student who misses more than five classes. Anything less than that, it's my call. (These are classes required by the university.)</p>
<p>In my previous positions, attendance penalties were completely up to me. I suppose it depends on the university, the department, the professor, and whether the course is required.</p>
<p>Weenie, I am not at all surprised. I have a feeling , that most schools have an idea about how much money they are spending, for how long, and statistics on returning/non-returning students who do lose their scholarship.</p>
<p>At the school my S attends, most classes either have either a 6 time absence policy (not failing, but lowering of final grade), or no attendance policy at all.</p>
<p>At my S's school so far (soph at large state u.) he has only had one class with a strict attendance policy. Freshman English met 4 days a week and no more than 8 absences were allowed. More than 8 =F. This was university-wide, not just his class. He has a friend who failed due to illness and a lot of sleeping in (8a.m. class).</p>
<p>My S arranged his schedule so his 1st class started at 9 or 10 1st semester. This semester, his 1st class starts at noon. The classes run into the evening, but he's MUCH happier than trying to rise for 8am classes. He's officially ending his sophomore year & gets priority in registration because of all his AP credits (which won't help him in his major but would have allowed him to graduate 1+ years early if he switched to Arts & Sciences or many other majors.
His U allows the instructors to work with the student if absences are due to chronic health conditions registered with the Disabilities Office. At worst, they will allow the student to get an incomplete & make up the work. So far, he hasn't missed a day of class, he says, which is a record he has never had in K-12! We're very pleased!</p>
<p>^ Follow up article from the University of Memphis campus newspaper</p>
<p>From the article...</p>
<p>"It is no secret that about half of the freshmen who receive scholarships through the program will lose them within the first year, but a report recently released by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) estimated 70 percent of the first-time freshman class of fall 2004 will lose their scholarship through the fall of 2007.</p>
<p>By the time those current juniors finish their college education, that number is expected to grow to 75 percent."</p>
<p>"There's only so much institutions can do if (students) are ill-prepared to succeed," he said. "College success is more likely connected to the rigor of coursework students were exposed to in high school."</p>
<p>As of right now, the "fight" is if folks should lower the standards of the scholarship or not. </p>
<p>Fascinating. </p>
<p>I think, but I am partially kidding, that the higher the grades the more money the student should get. Maybe it should be on a sliding scale, then? But, I am partially kidding.</p>
<p>mildred thank you for posting. I find this very interesting,
[quote]
At The U of M, 41 percent of the fall 2005 freshman class kept their scholarship compared with the 46 percent state average. </p>
<p>However, like Alcover, 38 percent of freshman that lost the scholarship returned for another year of college, either here or at other institutions.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It is interesting that Tennessee knows exactly what % of students keep and lose their scholarships, and what % return to school if it is lost. Why can't all schools disclose the % of those who lose scholarships b/c of not meeting requirements to keep it, in the interest of full disclosure?</p>
<p>Another interesting point,
[quote]
College students compete against their peers from all over the world and, Wright said, lowering the standards will spill over into the marketplace making Tennessee graduates loose out.</p>
<p>"If an employer can choose between someone who graduated with a higher GPA and a lower GPA, someone is going to award that better performance whether the scholarship will or not," he said.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think students also lose out if they do not have the funds to graduate. That point was left out. The % of students losing these funds, IMO, is way too high.</p>
<p>
[quote]
mildred thank you for posting. I find this very interesting,
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why, you are welcome. </p>
<p>I find it interesting also, because in Tennessee we did not have a lottery until just a few short years ago. So, I figure that is why everything about the lottery scholarship is tracked and made public. </p>
<p>It does sadden me that the University of Memphis, as well as some other fourth tier schools in Tennessee, are kinda messed up as of right now.</p>
<p>One the one hand, I could very well wind up attending graduate school at one of these schools (I have the most open and realistic grad school wish list going, y'all) and so I worry about the low rankings some of these schools have. Then on the other hand, it just makes me sad and downright hate the stereotype some of these schools inadvertently wind up perpetuating. </p>
<p>I do not know what the answer is sometimes. But, I think some of this starts with the high schools.</p>