We all have hunches as to why students withdraw based on our own experiences and conversations, but do we have actual data to back our beliefs? 

We wanted to know exactly why students were leaving our institution and so we decided the best way to find out was simply to ask. We got on the phone and started calling every single student who left our campus over a two-year period of time. We were not sure what to expect from this exercise but quickly discovered that our former students were very open to talking about their experience on our campus. 

In this episode we talk about how this research project changed everything for our campus. This exercise is what led us to a deep dive study of Generation Z and first-generation students and why these groups of students are not as willing to come to us for help. As a result we launched our peer mentoring program and committed to refocus our efforts on getting to know our students better.  And, in the end, we believe this focus of getting to know our students better has been key to our success and increased retention rates.

New episodes release every Monday.