upbringing , and maturity level as well as previous real world work experience has a great deal to do with successful retention of a student's core commonalities,(traits) irregardless of the chosen field of service for which they are being trained to pursue. obviously they are there for a reason, possibly - to improve their life,make a better living. succeed at a higher level- whatever. many young folks in today's world are generally not used to being held accountable for their own actions. consequently present-ability, work ethic-such as being on time for work or school, reliability in a general sense, how they are accepted by the other students or work associates. is crucial to the attitude and acceptance of the student in a classroom or workplace environment. Retention being the end result or goal to succeed.

I worked at a technical college for many years that had very aggressive admissions processes in place that often put pressure on students to make a decision, enroll and complete financial aid within a two-three hour time frame. The college saw a lot of attrition due to this, often within the first three months of starting. So much so that the school added a metric to Admission's Reps review tracking their performance for "persistence" from the first term to the second, which had no affect as it did not change its actual admissions practices. I have now worked for a massage school for sometime, which has a much more in-depth and longer admissions process. This makes a big difference. Although we still have students who occasionally have a change of heart, it is rare. Has anyone else experienced this? Either due to changes at their school in the admissions process or working for different schools? What part of the admissions process do you think makes the most difference? For us, those students who express a fear of the sciences or anxiety at massaging a stranger are invited to sit in a science or hands-on class. The majority of prospects respond positively to this. On occasion, we do have prospects who have a change of heart after this experience and who would most likely not have been successful. -Jeannette

this particular sector having to do with want to have to has opened my thought process considerably in that or by realizing that we do not have to do anything as long as we are willing to accept the consequences, but more than that, it gives the instructor an important tool to use with the students by showing them a way to change there outlook (para-dyne)into how they might perceive a particular situation from a negative outlook to a more positive outlook and by doing this start to enjoy the subject matter and become more positively involved in the training. "I like it"

I like the concept that students remember most at the beginning of a session, and at the end of the session, and only seem to be interested in humor about the subject matter in the middle of a session. as a result of this knowledge I have implemented a change in my normal routine. I am still experimenting with this adjustment in routine. I do like the repleteness of touching on key comments in a lecture, this seems to work very well for my students, judging from results on quiz questions presented during follow up at the end of the session.

H- habits can be changed only if the individual make the effort to do so, this is also true with attitudes, note: attitudes are catching- meaning that a class and / or an individual can be truly influenced by a good attitude- IE: a desire to emulate and succeed out of respect for the instructor and/ or other students. whereas they can also be influenced negatively by a bad attitude, IE: disrespect, too cavalier about important subject matter. then comes the Belief factor, IE: believe in yourself, do not become discouraged, avoid stress or frustration, stay focused. don't loose sight of the goal or end result. expectations - expect to do well, it helps to enjoy everything you do. set goals and put time frames on accomplishing these goals-- thus = equal success.

I like the idea of this course and how it seems to be laid out, especially recognizing how caring for the student's interests, personally as well as professionally come into play. accountability seems to be the key to keeping the student totally involved and wanting to succeed in the program. of course these are just my preliminary thoughts, I am looking forward to getting more into the course before I can comment further.

I find that students who want to go home the problem is not school, Its something out side, so if the Instructor can talk to them you can save them but you have to care, and thy know and they respond.

we must know the more important thing about the student, for example: Affairs, 2- Education, 3- Business Office, 4- Financial Aid ... all departments demonstrate that we support each other and our students.

I agree that giving the students the top of differents professions

I agree that classmate games, are not only things that should be implemented into the first week, but also into the weeks to come. for example personal's presentations

At least twice a class I will ask my students a completely random off topic question. I use this to challenge there knowledge, to help shift their gears, to push them through a mind numb state.

If I think back, I can recall my first mentor, Mr. Emmi. High school wood shop teacher. He showed me that life has many paths and all I had to do was walk my own. That small conversation stuck with me and his style of instructing has shaped mine.

I agree that classmate bonding, food, games, employer presentations, are not only things that should be implemented into the first week, but also into the weeks to come. With this generation "fun" is added into the value part of the equation. Students now want to be entertained on some level at some point during their education. It is best used a stress reviler and "prize" for hard work.

"Faculty play an extremely important role in retention and students are typically very intimated by them, especially early in their classroom experience. Having faculty communicate things that make them 'real' and affirm to students that they are people as well as professionals, will significantly help retention efforts." I related to this insight. There is a fine line between faculty, mentor, and friend. Being a mentor puts you in the position between the two, but makes the students relate to you and come to you with any needs or concerns.

I think the idea "where students, either as individuals or in groups, travel from department to department to gather the important information," is great. It helps break down the walls of fear by helping students get to know the school, departments, and faculty before the first day of school.

Being a recent graduate I can say this was one of my fears on the first day of school. The way to diffuse this is by group activities, both social and academic related.

I think it is also very beneficial to look close at the student's track record - does s/he have a history of completing courses or of dropping out. If the latter, what needs to be done - by the student, by the student's family, by the school - to ensure that there is completion this time?

Where do I begin?

What are top key indicators of behavior to notice when to intervene.?

Where does the fear factor start creeping into academics..