Helping Our Students Find Their Way at College

Posted on Friday, September 2nd, 2022

Authored by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs – Pembroke Campus

Day one of the fall term has arrived. Thousands of students are getting their first taste of post-secondary education and many are overwhelmed. They have arrived at our campuses with hopes and dreams, but and are now starting to question whether they are in the right program or whether they can succeed as a college student, and collectively it’s our job to help them.

Each year, the College loses hundreds of students in the early part of the semester. On average 800 students withdraw before day ten of the term. These students leave for a variety of reasons, including uncertainty about their program choice, financial aid concerns, home sickness if they are from out of town and difficulty making connections with new people.

We know why they leave, but we have had difficulty putting strategies in place to prevent them from leaving. The challenge we are facing as we start a new academic year with lower enrolments than anticipated, is what can we do differently or better to help these students stay attached to our college. Here are a few suggestions.

Let’s be overly kind. Don’t wait for a student to ask you for help. Intervene and ask them if there is anything they need assistance with to help ensure they are receiving the support they need. Ruffalo Noel Levitz founder, Lee Noel, was a pioneer in student retention and often said, “We need to give them what they need, before they know they need it.”

It’s good advice, particularly as we return more students to campus and people adjust to being among larger crowds. That in itself can be overwhelming and we need to be mindful that many of our new and returning students have never been on campus and will struggle to find their way around.

Let’s be overly helpful and react quickly when students display any signs of distress. If a student shares with you that they are struggling financially, help them make contact with financial aid or campus employment services. If a student indicates they have a learning disability, but they don’t know how to connect with the Centre for Accessible Learning, help them find the CAL office or show them how to make an appointment. Our ability to refer with certainty to help our students navigate their new environment is additionally important, for example walking them to an area, or ensuring the employee in the area you are referring a student is aware of this referral. All of these efforts add up when it comes to retaining our students.

Wear your name badge – our learners may find it difficult to distinguish employees from fellow learners; wearing your nametag will reflect your employee status.

Dust off those green sweaters – Fall is upon us, and your AC swag will not only help to warm you up but it also reflects your campus spirit! Let’s show our College community just how proud we are to be part of the AC community!

Let’s promote all of the great orientation activities, on day one and beyond, that have been planned by Student Services and the Algonquin Students’ Association. These events really help students become comfortable with their new surroundings. The more they are on campus, they more they will be connected and learn about the services that are available to support them.

Students have until day 10 to register, so our actions and connections in our broader community can also help attain our enrolment goals. It’s amazing how many casual conversations, especially if we are wearing some AC swag, in our own interactions outside the College can lead to a student enrolling. Some people just need that extra help to navigate how to apply or what is still available at this time of year.

Finally, let’s work together to help our students succeed. When departments collaborate on projects and activities that focus on student success, we create a more inclusive learning environment that keeps students engaged and lessens the risk of them withdrawing early.

It’s Day One. It’s your chance to contribute to student success. We all can make a difference.

Interested in learning more about Strategic Enrolment? Visit our Roadmap Series blog here


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