While many ISU students are getting excited about new classes, jobs and what they are doing next weekend, some students are second-guessing their decision to even be in college.

“When I was a freshman, I left home, my boyfriend – everything I knew,” said Kristin Thompson, second-year student in liberal arts and sciences. “I really felt insecure and wasn’t sure if I was prepared to handle college.”

Many students come into college wondering if they have done the right thing. And although students living in the residence halls may see some rooms clear out, the number of students who stay in college, despite second thoughts, is quite high, said Sharon McGuire, director of the Academic Success Center.

“My understanding is that 89 percent of students enrolled at ISU their first year return their second year,” McGuire said.

The Academic Success Center was designed to help students with academic questions or needs, keeping them on track to do well in college classes.

Academic pressures and grades can be one of the reasons students feel that they cannot handle college.

“I remember the first semester of my freshman year – I thought I couldn’t handle this,” Thompson said. “I had never had a C in my life. It was really frustrating. I could try and try and still end up with a bad grade on a test. I really didn’t feel prepared to be here.”

Although high school GPA and the ACT are good predictors of college performance, it also can be somewhat of a predictor of whether a student will stay at Iowa State. According to the 2000-2001 ISU Fact Book, the one-year retention rate for students who have had an ACT score of 32 or higher is 92.7 percent. Students with an ACT score of 19 to 21 have an 81.7 percent retention rate.

GPA is a similar indicator. Student in the top 10 percent of their class have a 20.7 percent higher one-year retention rate than those in the bottom half of their high school class.

Women also are more likely than men to continue their education at Iowa State and graduate in four years. In the entering class of 1996, 35.6 percent of women graduated in four years, where as only 22.7 percent of men graduated in four years, according to the ISU Fact Book.

“The reasons are multiple,” McGuire said. “Personal issues, family, money, change of major, academic difficulty – not always suspension – [or] family relocation.”

Thompson said she was not alone in first-year troubles.

“I have heard lots of students wanting to leave because their boyfriends are back home or community colleges sound easier,” she said.

When students begin to think about packing their bags and calling the taxi to take them back to mom and dad, there are many services available for students to learn about their best option.

Getting involved may help a student feel rooted at Iowa State. Involvement in campus organizations or academic departments, interactions with faculty and active learning strategies contribute to student success, McGuire said. Learning communities also may have helped.

“I try to make sure that they have all the necessary information to make their choice and usually refer them to advisers and faculty,” McGuire said. “If a student does decide to drop out, my hope is that they know how to re-enter ISU or the college of their choice.”