Students want ‘road map’ for college

College can be difficult to navigate in its own right, but when you combine it with the responsibilities of working or raising a family, getting through school can be that much more difficult. For many students, community college is typically a means to a better job or four-year university, with a new study by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success Initiative stating that the institutions “represent one of the few remaining pathways to the American Dream.” Yet, even though community colleges serve half of the nation’s undergraduate students, less than half of those students graduate within six years.

In an attempt to identify ways to increase college completion among community college students, the initiative surveyed 161 current and former students to look at some of the challenges they encountered, leading to the report, Student Voices on Community College Completion (PDF). Those surveyed ranged in age from 18 to 29.

The researchers found that students want a “road map” of sorts to help guide them through the postsecondary education process. According to the report, there were five prevailing themes that repeatedly came up in the discussions with the current and former community college students:

1. Students wanted more exposure to career possibilities so that they could make better-informed decisions about the goals they set out to achieve and the steps necessary for success.


2. While former and current community college students consistently reported that they lacked readiness for college, most believed that the student success and developmental education courses intended to bring them up to speed were not offered in a way that helped them succeed.


3. Participants believed that having clear goals, and being in programs with well-defined pathways, gave them a greater chance of persisting, completing or transferring.


4. Advisors, counselors, and faculty members who offer support and guidance that is accurate, accessible and tailored to students’ educational and career goals are in high demand and can be hard to come by.


5. Students are aware that colleges offer a wide range of services, but they report that finding the specific information or services they need often requires going on a “wild goose chase” and navigating silos.