The challenges of getting a degree in four years - Monterey Herald

Editor’s note: This is one of a series of articles produced by CSU Monterey Bay students under the direction of Herald Managing Editor David Kellogg examining school issues.

SEASIDE — Before Natalie Dicks’ grandmother died six years ago, she set aside in her will what she thought would be enough money to pay for her granddaughter’s college education.

After two and a half years at Monterey Peninsula College and two and a half years at CSU Monterey Bay, that money has all been spent. But Dicks, a 25-year-old psychology major from Salinas, is still six units short of a degree. She and her grandmother hadn’t anticipated it would take so long to get through college.

Thousands of students across 23 CSU campuses are finding it will take them more than the traditional four years to complete a bachelor’s degree. There are several reasons for that, including a lack of communication between student and academic adviser, poor preparation for college and financial struggles. Learning disabilities can also be a factor.

“We have to look at the academic system as a whole,” says Kim Barber, CSUMB’s director for Pre College Programs. “If the system is not providing for the whole student, then something is lacking or not on par with a student’s success then that is going to impact them graduating in four years.”

Obstacles to finishing in four years

Only 41% of students manage to graduate from a four-year college in four years. Often students feel discouraged the longer it takes because there is no immediate payoff in the workforce for accomplishing general education, according to “6 Reasons You May Not Graduate on Time (and What to Do About It)” published by the New York Times in 2017.

For many students, it’s a heavy financial burden to pay for a college education, which can run to $19,612 a year for tuition, room and board, and books at a California State University. In the 2014-2015 academic year, more than $4 billion in financial aid was distributed to over 365,000 students, 80% of CSU’s total student population, reported the CSU system.

To support two additional semesters at CSUMB and one year of rent, Dicks started working part-time in retail and took out a school loan.

“A lot of students can’t actually go to school full time and a lot of students don’t necessarily understand what it means to be full time,” says Fran Horvoth, CSUMB’s interim provost.

Most colleges define a full-time course load as 12 credits a semester, which is, not coincidentally, the ceiling for receiving the maximum Pell grant and most state financial aid. But degrees usually require 120 credits. Do the math — most students don’t, and it’s difficult to catch up: You need 15 credits a semester on average to get through in four years.

As Dicks came closer to applying to a university from MPC, she realized she did not meet the 60-unit minimum to transfer. “I froze. I felt betrayed, lied to and fooled,” she said. Dicks had seen her counselor many times, yet taking a minimum of 15 units was not explained to her. Being enrolled in only 12 units per semester at a community college was not enough to transfer to a university in two years.

Dicks already struggled with 12 units, but she felt the pressure to graduate as quickly as possible because of her limited funds.

Getting educated on succeeding

Horvoth says CSUMB has increased the number of counselors to make sure that information gets to students in need.

“We found in the initial effort an increase in advising definitely helps students. So, we want to get more advising. We want to get more mandatory advising. We don’t have the resources now to give every student mandatory (advising),” said Horvoth.

In 2015, the CSU system launched Graduation Initiative 2025 to increase graduation rates, eliminate equity gaps in degree completion and meet California’s workforce needs.

Graduation Initiative 2025 has a developed and comprehensive six-step plan that covers academic preparation, enrollment management, student engagement and well-being, financial support, data-informed decision making and overcoming administrative barriers. Using these, the CSU system thinks that it could help students earn a degree in four to six years.

“The whole student goes through post-secondary,” says Barber, CSUMB’s director for Pre College Programs. “It’s more than academic success, it’s also about their social, emotional and physical wellbeing. If no one is saying they can do it or helping them navigate the hidden curriculum, then they will take extra time.”

Preparation for higher education 

According to the Graduation Initiative 2025 program designed to track and help students graduate in a timely manner, “only 10% of students who were assigned developmental education courses (simply structured courses designed to help low-performing students start from zero knowledge to being capable of achieving passing standards) earned a degree in four years.”

Most degree programs begin with a series of general education courses and in some cases, students are required to start at a remedial level (no credit, basic skills classes that prepare students for rigorous college curriculum), resulting in a prolonged academic journey. Although general education provides a foundation for upper-division courses, basic skills classes such as English and math can feel irrelevant for many students, like Dicks, who hope the time and money they put into their education will result in a career with living wages.

Some extra help

“Some students, especially first-generation students, need hands-on help in navigating the hidden curriculum or language of higher education. They may not know how to navigate Federal Student Aid, register for classes, drop/add classes, or how to talk to a professor,” said Barber. “Extra support programs are important such as Educational Opportunity Programs and other college support programs on campus because they show these students how to navigate the system and be successful.”

CSUMB has offered College Readiness Programs such as Educational Opportunity Program since 1994, one year after the institution opened its doors. Educational Opportunity Program provides admission, academic and financial support services to historically underserved students throughout California.

Other than focusing on advising, Horvoth says, “we’ve been focusing on a number of things. The system has been targeting funds to increase student success.”

She says funds are being used to offer more classes per semester so that students can receive enough units to graduate on time. She also says that some of that money is used to help students pay for classes, lower costs and help students pay for courses that they could otherwise not pay for.

CSUMB recognizes this long-standing issue. Horvoth says, “What we are trying to do here is make sure the university doesn’t do anything to put roadblocks in the student’s way. We make sure that if a student wants to complete those 30 units in a year, that the classes are there and the courses are available for students to get to them.”

“It has been quite the journey to get here but I am hopeful my studies will help my academic and professional goals,” said Dicks. She is on track to graduate in the spring and plans to apply to Santa Clara University for a master’s in Counseling Psychology to advance her career.

“I would love to help families stay together as a licensed psychologist one day.”