The college years are an exciting, but sometimes stressful time. Many students are faced with problems that are not readily resolvable or the usual ways of managing problems aren’t working as well as they used to do. You may find, for example, that talking to friends or family about your concerns is impossible or unhelpful.

What is counseling?
There are many definitions of counseling. Basically, it is a process by which psychological and/or emotional problems/concerns are treated through communication and relationship aspects between an individual and a therapist. Counseling provides you the chance to talk about what is on your mind with an objective person. This trained professional can help you learn new skills and ways of looking at situations, so that you will be more capable of solving new problems on your own in the future.

How is it different from talking to my friends about my problems?
Counseling is much more than talking about your problems. While family or friends can help you feel better or even offer good advice for change, this isn’t counseling. Counseling is a professional relationship between a therapist and a client that is based on therapeutic principles, structure, and technique. It differs from other relationships in several ways:

Relationship with a specific purpose.
The relationship between a therapist and a client is strictly professional. It exists only and solely for the purpose of helping the individual seeking counseling.

Confidentiality.
You can tell therapists things without having to worry about your information being repeated to others or in any way affecting your job, family, or friendships.

Honest expression of feelings.
You can be honest without having to worry about offending friends, family, or peers. When a therapist asks how you are doing, he or she really wants to know. This is different from social or casual conversation, in which the person who asks the questions expects you to say, “okay” so he can tell you how he is doing.

Professional training and experience.
Therapists are trained through education and practical experience to understand what you say- your words, how you say them and which ones you do not use. They pay attention to body language and tone of voice to fully understand your speech. Having learned about and working others possessing similar issues to your own, therapists understand your particular concerns and help you to work through and beyond them.

If I begin counseling, how can I try to get the most out of it?
Counseling works especially well when individuals and their therapists communicate openly. Research has shown that the outcome of counseling is improved when the therapist and the individual agree early about what the major concerns are and how counseling can help. You and your therapist both have responsibilities in establishing and maintaining a good working relationship. Be clear with your therapist about your expectations and share any concerns that may arise. Therapy works best when you attend all scheduled sessions and give some forethought to what issues you would like to address.

Written by: Dr. Tara J. Palmatier

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What are the key components to college retention and how does it affect school selection? First, when considering the schools to which your child applies, find out their retention rates and compare them to the national average. If the information is not readily available in the school catalog or on the web, call a recruiter. Believe you me, schools know their retention and attrition rates. If they are not trumpeting their rate as an enrollment enticement, be concerned.

Second, low or below average retention rates indicate structural and support service deficits that are indicative of a less than optimal learning and developmental environment. The first year of school is a critical period in your child’s educational future. You don’t want to begin with a pre-existing institutional handicap.

According to Vincent Tinto, Ph.D. (2003), there are 5 conditions that promote student retention, especially during the first year. Tinto’s conditions are based upon factors that are within the institutions themselves and, therefore, within the institution’s control to change. Traditionally, schools base their retention rates on describing what type of student is most likely to be successful in their system.

This is backward reasoning. If you adhere to this perspective, one could argue that these institutions should only accept students possessing the attributes that guarantee success. If schools are serious about meeting the needs of their students, they need to lose the “one size fits all” mentality and adapt their structure to meet the diverse needs and characteristics of their student body. “For unlike student attributes that are largely fixed at entry, the conditions in which students seek to learn and persist, such as classrooms, are not. They are already within institutional control, their attributes already reflective of decisions made and of actions taken or not taken” (Tinto, 2003, p. 2).

Expectations. “Students are more likely to persist and graduate in settings that expect them to succeed” (Tinto, 2003, p. 2). If you begin by telling students, that one type of person is likely to succeed, you convey the implicit message that all others are likely to do poorly or fail. An organization with this attitude is failing to meet their students’ needs and failing them overall. When you expect the best from people, usually that’s what you get; expect the worst and you will receive it forthwith.

Support. Students are more likely to persevere and succeed in settings that provide academic, personal and social support. Most students, particularly freshmen, require support services at some point. No matter the type, “support needs to be readily available and connected to other parts of student collegiate experience, not separated from it” (Tinto, 2003, p. 3). Therefore, eradicating counseling services from campus (usually to pay high price consultants that give weak recommendations to improve retention rates) is a stupid and short-sighted move.

Feedback. “Students are more likely to persist and graduate in settings that provide frequent and early feedback about their performance as they are trying to learn and persist” (Tinto, 2003, p. 3). This is a trickle down effect of poor managerial skills in which employees receive evaluations at 6-month intervals. You’re critiqued for poor performance 5 months after the fact, when it’s too late to learn or self-correct. In order for feedback to be effective IT MUST BE TIMELY. You wouldn’t put a 3-year old child in “time-out” for something he did 6 hours ago. Well, some parents do, which is why it doesn’t work.

Involvement. “The frequency and quality of contact with faculty, staff, and other students is an important independent predictor of student persistence” (Tinto, 2003, p. 3). It is critical for colleges to get first year students to “buy into” their culture. If students do not feel like they matter or feel disenfranchised by the system, they are likely to drop out or transfer to an institution that promotes a sense of belonging and “we care about you” atmosphere.

Learning. Learning is the primary key to student retention. Students who learn are the students who stay. Involvement is also an integral aspect of learning. “Students who are actively involved in learning, that is who spend more time on task especially with others, are more likely to learn and, in turn, more likely to stay” (Tinto, 2003, p. 3). There are many classroom techniques that promote and enhance learning. Most require students to interact with each other in and out of the classroom, discussing the material and their thoughts. Repetition and critical analysis reinforces learning far better than rote memorization.

Schools that incorporate these conditions into their structure and curricula will have higher retention rates and provide a better quality of experience to their students. This approach will require schools to change from the ground up, including changes in belief and attitude. Unfortunately, most schools would rather hire independent consultants for $400,000 (increasing tuition and eliminating student services to pay these fees) that provide such pearls as “Add a freshmen orientation class.” Yeah, that’ll fix the problem, but it’s easier in the short-term rather than taking a systemic look in the mirror and implementing long-term effective change.

* Promoting Student Retention Through Classroom Practice, Presented at “Enhancing Student Retention: Using International Policy and Practice.” An international conference sponsored by the European Access Network and the Institute for Access Studies at Staffordshire University. Amsterdam, November 5-7, 2003.

Written by: Dr. Tara J. Palmatier

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“Student retention” is a hot buzz concern on most college and university campuses. Learning institutions implement studies to determine how to improve student retention and programs and services to increase their retention rates.

What is student retention? The number of students who remain enrolled and do not drop out or transfer out. Universities do not like to lose students. Most tout themselves as “student-centered.” They profess their commitment to educate young minds and to provide healthy environments that promote overall development. However, the bottom line is that lost students are lost tuition dollars. Don’t think for one minute they actually care about your kids. Students are revenue; walking, talking cold hard cash with belly rings and laptop computers.

There is another interesting trend occurring on campuses. Whilst they simultaneously aim for higher retention rates, many large universities are systematically dismantling their counseling centers. In their place, students in need of support are triaged through the health services center/insurance representative and given a referral to a practitioner located off campus.

There are many problems with this line of illogical reasoning. First, students with mental health issues are at risk of dropping out. By mental health issues, I’m not referring to the rare cases of acute mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizotypal/schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorder, anorexia, etc. I’m referring to depression, anxiety, homesickness, roommate conflict, time management, and wellness. These issues are highly treatable and manageable through supportive counseling over a course of 8-12 sessions (sometimes longer) with a trained psychologist.

The university I worked for (one of the largest in Boston) conducted an outcome study of retention rates of students who received counseling services vs. students who did not receive services. No big surprise, students who did not receive services had a higher drop out rate and/or leave of absence rate.

Second, students experiencing depression- and anxiety-related problems can barely make it to class. How likely do you think they are to get on public transportation to attend an off-campus therapy session when they can’t walk 200 yards to their English composition class? Not very likely at all.

Third, subjecting already troubled students to the added stressor of navigating managed health care insurance systems is not supportive; it is sadistic. Even on a good day, dealing with these companies and their minions is enough to make you want to pull your hair out.

Vincent Tinto, Ph.D. (Syracuse University) is a renowned expert on the issue of student retention. Tinto (2003) writes, “Many universities in the United States speak of the importance of increasing student retention. Indeed, quite a few invest substantial resources in programs designed to achieve that end. Some universities even hire consultants who promise a proven formula for successful retention. But for all that effort, most universities do not take student retention seriously. They treat student retention, like so many other issues, as one more item to add to the list of issues to be addressed by the university. . .”

“. . . To be serious about student retention, universities would recognize that they have to do more than establish programs to help the students adjust to the institution. Though such programs are helpful, being serious about student retention would mean that universities would also initiate changes in their own structures and practices to better meet the needs of their changing student body” (Promoting Student Retention Through Classroom Practice, Presented at “Enhancing Student Retention: Using International Policy and Practice.” An international conference sponsored by the European Access Network and the Institute for Access Studies at Staffordshire University. Amsterdam, November 5-7, 2003.)

In the second half of this article, I will discuss the components of retention vìs-a-vìs how an institution’s retention rates might affect your choice of school.

Written by: Dr. Tara J. Palmatier

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Greek life isn’t what it used to be on college campuses anymore. Fraternities and sororities are gaining more respect as they try to mold responsible young leaders and lose the image of being nothing more than drinking clubs. College administrations have also taken note with their zero tolerance policies on underage drinking and hazing practices of late. This has often been an area that schools have treaded lightly on as some Greek members have been of legal age and houses are often an off-campus property.

Last year, University of California-Berkeley took a tougher stance. They made it a firm policy that all fraternity/sorority sponsored activities must be alcohol-free for everyone, and that even included off campus events. Some chapters have even adopted the policy of providing mandatory transportation to and from the event (as a type of lock-in) so that members are not tempted to go somewhere else afterwards.

What else is going on in the Greek community across American college campuses? Both of my college students have often remarked that the bonding and friendships made during those first few months of school and continuing through graduation will last forever. Imagine starting out at a new place where you don’t know anyone. Feeling like you are a part of something can give a student a real sense of purpose while navigating the maze of college living. Cooperative living teaches responsible life skills while also saving money on housing. On average, academic performance of Greek students is higher than their classmates. Scholarships are also available for merit worthy students. Many students in fraternities and sororities attend mandatory nightly study tables at their own houses and have friendly GPA competitions with rival houses. Members join together in performing widespread community service in and around their campuses.

If fostering the values of scholarship, leadership, service, brotherhood and sisterhood will be important to you during college, remember to go Greek!

Parent of a Gamma Phi Beta sister and Zeta Psi brother

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