How College Affects Students Getting Jobs

This week’s reading from How College Affects Students introduces an interesting concept for readers, how college affects a student’s ability to get a job. Of course one of the main reasons students go to college is to get a good job but according to Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) there are so many factors that go into getting a job with a college degree. Just like in every other chapter in the book, Chapter 9 starts out with a section describing the change during college for the future employment of students. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) reference studies that found that seniors in college tend to have a better grasp of the realities of the labor market and tend to be better equipped when it comes time for them to enter the ‘real-world’. The authors do throw out the caution that those characteristics of seniors may not be a direct result of college, which seems to be a reoccurring theme with this book. A lot of uncertainty and inconsistencies with data.

The next section in the chapter discusses the net effects of college. In this section the authors talk a lot of about the impact getting a certain degree can have on the occupation success of students. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) give statistically data proving that bachelor’s degrees, associates degrees and vocational certificates give a person a specific advantage over those with just a high school diploma. This data can and should be used to persuade potential students into attending college because they will make more money later in life than they would if they just stayed with a high school diploma. The book also talks about how secondary education positively impacts workforce participation and decreases the probability of unemployment for students. On the flip side of that, some research shows a negative impact on job satisfaction for those with college degrees because of expectations they may have of the job.

The next section, between-college effects presents the most interesting information in the chapter, I think. The authors talk a lot of how institutional selectivity impacts subsequent earnings and occupational placement. According to the book, institutional selectivity has a positive impact on job attainment but only in middle rank jobs, not the highest ranked jobs on the market. This statement is only invalid when it comes to high status jobs like lawyers and doctors because institutional status plays a lot into how well a candidate is viewed in a job search. The chapter also talks about the effects of HBC’s on student employment success and single-sex institutions. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) say that HBCs help to foster ambition in students who attend their universities but do not seem to have any statistically significant impact on student’s future earnings. Single-sex institutions seem to have an impact on fame at work for a women but may also push her towards marrying rich to help support her.

The most interesting point this chapter made was when it talked about progressive conformity. According to the book, progressive conformity refers to when a student picks a major/ field of study that is impacted by the dominant peer group. This term is a new concept to me and is kind of hard to understand. This concept talks to the idea that students who attend a university that has a high percentage of students in a certain major are more likely to go into that major. For example, if a unversity is known for their business department, research shows more students will gravitate towards a degree within the business department. 

Fraternity and Sorority Article Reflection Paper

Changing Trends in the Undergraduate Fraternity/ Sorority Experience: An Evaluative and Analytically Literature Review      

This week’s readings were very interesting but a little repetitive in nature. This was probably for a reason but it felt like all the articles were stating the same statistics and overall themes. The meta-analysis Changing Trends in the Undergraduate Fraternity/ Sorority Experience: An Evaluative and Analytically Literature Review had a lot of great research and facts presented to its readers. The subjects the authors chose to highlight in their literature review gave the reader a better sense of what research has been done to help the student affairs profession better understand the inner workings of fraternity/ sorority organization. As I was reading this literature review, I could not help but think of how helpful this information would be when organizations try to end the perpetuation of stereotypes that surround their group. The first section of the lit review focuses on alcohol abuse which is a big problem looming over Greek organizations. The stereotype for these organizations is that all students involved in these groups are heavy drinkers and this review gives light to what is actually going on. The research presented does say that statistically affiliated students do drink way more than their non-affiliated counterparts but the point is also made that students are made to think that is the norm therefor perpetuating the problem.

            Hazing was another topic that was covered in this lit review also plagues Greek organizations. One interesting quote that I took away from this section was “hazing and pledging activities seem to be viewed similarly by fraternity/sorority members, except when asked to determine responsibility” (Perkins et. Al, 2011). The lit reviews states that most Greek organizations lay blame for hazing on different people depending on their gender. Fraternity men laid blame on the organization president and the brothers who hazed whereas the sorority women and non-members laid blame on the initiation process and the organization itself. (2011). This allows student affairs professions to tailor their anti-hazing campaigns to fit the viewpoints of the type of organizations.

The section on sexual assault was probably the most disturbing yet unsurprising section in the lit review. The authors discuss the preconceived notions fraternity men had about drinking and the ability to give consent. The lit review says “A few of these nonverbal signals included a woman flirting with a man, remaining in close proximity or contact with a man, undressing in front of a man, and dancing with a man… these men also described consent as being contextual.. Some believed that if a man and woman were in a dating relationship, consent was assumed” (2011). This idea is not new to me but is frightening to think that this idea is still perpetuated on college campuses today. The lit review also referenced an article that found fraternity men were more likely to respond to an rape prevention course more if a survivor was present to tell their story than if they were just sat in a room and given a lecture. This idea should be incorporated into rape prevention courses for fraternity and sorority organizations as well as education on breaking the stereotypical rape culture thinking.

The Effects of Fraternity/ Sorority Membership on College Experiences and Outcomes: A Portrait of Complexity.

The other piece we read this week looked at how being in a Greek organization effected college experiences and outcomes. The study looked at academic and social engagement, a culture of drinking, and college outcomes. Most of the information flipped what the stereotype of Greek members being unintelligent by showing that the students who are involved in these organizations are academically sound for many reasons. Some of those reasons are how involved they are with faculty members, how civically engaged they are as well as incorporate diversity initiatives into their lives. The most surprising data that the authors presented were the statistics of binge drinking. When I read these I was floored because there was no way these students were drinking this much on a regular basis. “the net odds of senior fraternity/ sorority members binge drinking twice, three to five times, and six or more times in a two-week period were respectively 3.0, 2.6 and 3.5 times greater than the odds of unaffiliated seniors doing so” (Asel et. Al, 2009). My first thought was how these students have so much time and money on their hands that they can drink that much their senior year and then I thought how it would affect them academically. That much of a distraction much take its toll on them academically in a time when they really cannot afford to slip up. 

Resources

Asel, A., Seifert, T., and Pascarella, E. (2009) The Effects of Fraternity/ Sorority Membership On College Experiences and Outcomes: A Portrait of Complexity. The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors: 4(2), 1-15.

Perkins, A., Zimmerman, D., and Janosik, S. (2011). Changing Trends in the Undergraduate Fraternity/ Sorority Experience: An Evaluative and Analytical Literature Review. The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors: 6(1), 65/73.

Community Colleges and the Affects on Persistence to a Bachelor's Degree

     For this week’s readings, it has become very clear the importance of going to a four-year institution right off the bat than to go to a two-year community college before transferring. According to Pascarella and Terenzini, many studies have shown that students who had aspiration to get a Bachelor’s Degree by way of an Associates Degree at a community college are more likely to not see those aspirations come to fruition. In fact, after they obtain their Associates Degree, their goal of getting that degree diminishes so much that most never make the transfer to a larger institution to finish getting their degree. It would be interesting to see how these statistics play out when it comes to dual enrollment students who take college classes while also completing their last one or two years of high school. Students will take a certain amount of classes either their Junior or Senior year of high school in order to get ahead on credits when it comes to starting college. The structure of dual enrollment is a little different here at the University of West Florida because students can actually study at a four-year institution but back in Washington (where I grew-up) Running Start was done through the local community college. Because of this program, some graduating high school seniors will start college at the traditional age of most freshman but may already have their Associates Degree. The transition may be easy for students to make if they do their dual enrollment at a four year university, which may help with the persistence rates of students in this program. In the community college model one question still remains a mystery: do students enrolled in a Running Starts program also have a reduced chance of obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree after transferring from a community college? That would be an interesting study to read.

     The authors also talk about the effects of living on campus and being involved in campus life may also be a factor for student persistence which could also be a factor in transfer students not being successful. If a student goes from high school to community college and then to a four year institution, the traditional window for them to get involved has become much smaller than what it could have been had they gone straight to a four year institution. When traditional freshman come to college, so many opportunities to get involved are thrown at them from every direction but transfer students are not given the same treatment. The same can be said for students who participate in a running start/ dual enrollment: they have already been established in a college environment and do not feel that the freshman activities apply to them. I had a friend in college who held this sentiment very dearly to her heart. She had participated in a running start program through her local community college and once she got to our university campus, she felt she had already done the ‘freshman’ thing and did not want to get as connected as she might have if she had not already obtained her Associates Degree.

     Another interesting point to look at because of this reading how students who attend a satellite four-year institution fair when it comes to degree completion, especially if the satellite campus is on a community college campus. Do the rates of persistence go up, down or stay the same because the low-stakes environment of a community college is merged with the higher-stakes course load of a four year institution? There are so many interesting scenarios when it comes to community colleges that would be interesting to study or read about.

     The idea that the authors present that private vs. public universities also impact degree completion never really crossed my mind but seems to make a lot of sense. Pascarella and Terenzini make the claim that studies have shown that universities that are religiously affiliated seem to have better persistence and degree completion rates. The authors also note that this may be caused by other factors but there is a statistically significant difference between public and private universities. This idea also carries over to HBCUs as well as all women colleges: those that attend these universities are more likely to persist to graduation than those who attend a traditional four-year public university. It is worth noting that the authors do contradict themselves when it comes to this topic however. They present studies that prove that a certain ‘non-traditional’ college environment may increase persistence but then also provide studies/ evidence that proves otherwise. 

Here is a funny Gif about transferring.. for fun :D 

Moral Development According to Pascarella and Terenzini

For class this week, the class was instructed to read chapter in Ernest Pascarella and Patrick Terenzini’s book How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. This chapter focuses on moral development of students and uses Kholberg as the framework by which they base their chapter. Because this book compares what was found by the authors in the 1990’s to what is commonly thought now about student development, there is an interesting view into how development theory has changed in certain areas and how it has not in others.

As stated above, this chapter discusses how college effects the development of students morally and the authors do a good job of using a lot of evidence to back up the claims they make. In the beginning of the chapter, the author talks about the change in moral development during college. The authors say that evidence shows them that students do show a statistically significant improvement in their moral development when they are in college but the authors also try to provide reasons as to why this may be so. It is interesting to parallel this concept to my own student development because I do think I developed morally when I was in college and I am fairly certain it would not happened if I was not in college. Because I was raised in a very conservative household, there was a lot that I was not exposed to but because I went to college I was able to experience other things that challenged my moral fibers. I feel that I have become a more moral person and do not think I would have been able to make that transition had I not been in college.

            The authors also make an interesting point when it comes to peer-to-peer influence on moral matters in college. The example of cheating and academic dishonesty are used in the book. Evidence suggests that students will cheat or be academically dishonest if they see other students around doing the same and on the other hand, if students feel that their friends would look down on them for being academically dishonest, they will refrain. These findings seem to be influenced by the institution and whether or not they had an honor code that was enforced by the students themselves. This is interesting because at the University of West Florida (UWF), we have an honor code that includes the student body as an active member in not accepting academic dishonesty. The honor code which was instated a few years back allows students to have an active stake in holding each other accountable but using inclusive language. “As Argonauts we act with integrity. We do not lie, cheat, steal ortolerate those who do.” This statement does not just represent the administration but also the students. UWF also has an academic dishonesty committee that evaluates and sanctions students who are thought to have been academically dishonest. This committee is not only faculty and staff but students as well because as discussed in the book, academic dishonesty should be a peer-to-peer discussion.

            Another interesting point presented by the authors is that students are not shaped by a single event in their college experience but a series of events that shifts their way of thinking. Academically, this may be true and for most students this is probably the case but I wonder how that translates outside of the classroom. Speaking from personal experience, one major event changed the way I saw the world and what my morals were, it was not so much the small experiences that did it. I would be interested to see what would constitute a large ‘event’ that could happen academically that would change a student’s moral development. Would be it a change in major? It seems like a ‘no-brainr’ that the small experiences/ events would be more impactful. 

The latest issue in Student Affairs

As an almost Student Affairs Professional there seem to be a variety of problems that plague our students today. This is not to say that students did not have problems before that needed addressing but the problems of modern day students are uniquely their own. We see problems with retention, which has always and probably will always be a problem, as well as the level of unpreparedness of freshman upon entering college. These problems are not easy to fix and will take a lot of intentional planning and execution in order to solve but at this time there seems to be a problem staring us as professionals in the face. The problem that key-note speaker at the University of West Florida Student Affairs Symposium Eric Stoller described is the lack of awareness students now a days have concerning their online identity.

This concept of an online identity is relatively new concept but has quickly become a very important part of a student’s personal identity. The general definition of an online or virtual identity is an identity that is created through use of multiple social media/ online communities. Such social outlets include Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Foursquare, etc. All of these sites are designed to allow others to see you a person in a quick and easily accessible manner.  Here in lies the problem for our students, most may not realize that when something is added to their Facebook profile that may be offensive or crude to others is now a part of their online identity.

People never cease to amaze me when it comes to the way they use social media without any regard for what they’re saying and ultimately whose going to see it. Some of my friends who have recently graduated from college and are now trying to find jobs, seem to have a blatant disregard for the messages they are sending potential employers through the things they post of their social media sites. I have one friend in particular that will use cuss word after cuss word on her Facebook and is currently attempting to find a job teaching high school English. She is a very talented and intelligent woman but an employer may not be able to see past the ‘f-bombs’ she posts on her page, won’t be able to see how amazing she is at what she does because she does not present herself well through her online identity.

It is because of this idea that the current generation is invincible that we feel out online identities will not influence our futures. The students that are coming into college as freshman, or transfer students, may not have the understanding that it’s never too early to start being professional online. There should be some sort of required class or portion of a class that teaches students the important of keeping a healthy and acceptable online identity. If we as Student Affairs professions can help students build the skills they need to have a better online identity, there would most likely be an increase in positive feedback from employers about high students. The better they present themselves in person is important but so is how they present themselves online.

Here is a great article that tells students the first steps they should take when it comes to social media and trying to get a job.