Half have attended more than one college???

[hoosier]

(Would like to see them survey how GLO membership affects this)



A new study released by (Indiana Univ.) IU's National Survey of Student Engagement found at least half of college students have attended more than one college or university.
Out of all transfer students, more than half took most of their courses from a vocational-technical school or from a community or junior college. On average, transfer students participated less in educational activities than nontransfer students and interacted less with faculty. The study also found about half the students that took complementary courses from other institutions did so to complete their degree requirements sooner.
Junior Dan Waltz transferred from Harding University in Circe, Ark., after his freshman year. In addition to coming to IU, Waltz has taken summer courses at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis because he said the classes are easier. He said he believes attending more than one university helps students broaden their educational base and meet different groups of people. Unlike the majority of transfer students, Waltz had no problems getting involved at IU. He was accepted into a fraternity and the Kelley School of Business and has been active in both.
Shawn Milligan, on the other hand, left IU for Westminster College near St. Louis. Milligan transferred because Westminster is a smaller school that offers smaller class environments, which he believes gives students more personal attention. After the transfer, it took a while for Milligan to find a core group of friends. He said he had a hard time meeting people at first because his peers were already established in certain circles. Now Milligan is involved in campus life with a steady group of friends in a fraternity. He is satisfied with his choice to transfer to a school that better suits his needs.
Higher education experts are concerned with the number of students taking classes from multiple institutions. Jillian Kinzie, the associate director of the NSSE Institute, said transfer students are not as likely to be involved in extracurricular activities, group study sessions or contacting professors. These students are more likely to see the campus environment as less supportive of their education, Kinzie said.
"We have reason to be concerned about transfer students who might not be benefiting as much from their undergraduate experience as their nontransfer peers," she said. "Multi-institute attendance may speed a degree, but it also may offer students a disjointed experience."

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