The border vidette., 1932-04-02
WHY SOME STUDENTS FAIL IN
COLLEGE
(By Dean e r. Riesen. Uni
versity of Arizona)

V0TSlty OIL ATlZJ1dj
The senior class in any typical
American university is consider
ably smaller than the freshman
class. Ia many institutions it is
about half as large. Last years
catalog of the University of
Arizona reports 531 freshmen
end only $40 seniors. Parents
and young people in every com.
munity are keenly aware of the
fact that some Of the students
who 60 TO the university return
home because they have failed
in their studies. This means
bitter disappointment to all con
cerned.
No one doubts that only those
students who profit from their
attendance at college should be
allowed to continue their resi-
dence in the institution. Un
successful members waste their
own time and money as we'll as
that of the institution. Also
they lower the standard and tone
of the school. College faculties
appoint deans, committees, and
special advisers to deal with this
problem and some very helpful
devices have been developed.
Much testing and counselling is
being done which. they are sure,
saves a considerable number
from failing.
To state the more obvious
casues for failures is the first
step toward prevention. They
evidently fall into six or seven
groups, and prospective students
would do we'll to consider them.
/. Poor health is one of the
commonest causes of failure.
Sinus and bronchial Infections,
predisposition to continual colds,
bad teeth. indigestion, eye de
fects and headaches, are found
to be very frequent among those
who are poor in scholarship.
2. Emotional and social diff
culties lower the effectiveness of
large number. Excitement
over being pledge to q sorority
or fraternity, social isolation and
unhappy home conditions are
disturbing factors that make
wholehearted attention to college
studies impossible.
3. Lack of funds often times
leads students to undertake sew
eral part-time jobs. They bell
eve themselves equal to the
task of earning q major part or
all of their expenses while carry
ing a full college course. This
can rarely be done successfully
for more than few months, and
in all cases it is advisable that
students reduce their schedule if
they must work on job for
more than three hours q day.
4. Poor preparation in subject
matter and adequate habits of
of study constitute fourth cause
of failures and disappointments.
The transition from the text re
citation method in high school
to the lecture and note-taking
method of college is too great
for many of them. Many have
"slid by" in high school and find
the old habits too powerful for
them.
5. There are vocational diff
fculties in the sense that the
students either have not chosen
a vocation or else they have
selected the wrong one, prevent
ing keen interest in their studies.
Ia either case these students are
likely to lack motivation. The
driving force is not there. 1t
has rarely been brought to their
attention that one of the finest
things they can do while decid
ing on a life career is to cultiv
ate many fields and interests,
that the biggest call today is for
men and women who understand
other people and their problems
and interests.
6. Sometimes there is Unwill.
ingness to work and to work
hard. Few students deliberately
loaf, yet a considerable number
do not know what days work
is. When a professor tells them
that two hours of preparation is
expected for each class attend
anca thav aither fail tn nndpr-