College graduation rates: Income really matters

"We've got a problem in that we get low-income kids to college, but they don't persist to graduation," Smeeding said. "It's harder for them to find their way through. They get discouraged and they drop out."

This quote comes from a recent article in CNN Money called College graduation rates: Income really matters.

Although parts of the article may seem bleak for first generation and low income college students, I think it is a worthy read. I encourage you to check it out and discuss what the article has to say.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Appropriate study group etiquette, part II

In my previous post about appropriate study group etiquette, I misinterpreted the question. I'm so sorry that I jumped to conclusions, but thank you to the original question-asker for following up with me again. A reader writes:

"My initiative was to get the study group going, at first with my questions in the beginning, but none have answered so far. And if group members do not wish to propose a fresh question, than I  may have to keep the group going by adding more questions to start discussing.

If the study group can propose questions and keep the discussion going, I will be glad if that is the case. But none of them do work, like they are waiting for questions. I would like to confirm that it is advisable to give them all my questions then."

Yes, if other students are not actively participating in the study group, it is okay to try to keep the conversation going by asking more questions of your own. However, it really sounds like your study group is not working like a study group... and I think it's because there is a lack of expectations.

I hope I'm not jumping to conclusions again, but when you are starting a study group, it is really, really important that everyone in the group be on the same page in terms of expectations.

Normally, I would suggest that a new study group start out by meeting and agreeing on how often the group will meet, how the group should function, and what roles--like leader, organizer, moderator, and notetaker--people want to take on. This conversation should also involve talking about expectations, accountability, and commitment to the study group.

But it sounds like that hasn't happened. In fact, it sounds like your only contact with the other students in your "study group" has been done via email. If that is the case, it would be appropriate to email them all and let them know why you started the study group and your expectations for the group. You also want to remind them of your question and prompt them to action by asking for their response.

Your email might say something like, "I emailed you to start a study group as a way to discuss the assignments with other students and share input and perspective on assignments. I would really like it if everyone could propose questions and keep the discussion going. My question is X? I want to know what you think about that or if you have any questions about it, so please email me back and keep the discussion going. Thank you!"

Then wait for replies. Hopefully this will get the other students to be more active in your study group because you are being clear about what you want and what you expect of them. Also, in the meantime while you are waiting for replies, you might want to go to office hours and ask the professor your questions.

If no one replies, consider reaching out to a different group of students, but I really do hope your study group works out.


Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Appropriate study group etiquette

As a follow up question to How to start a study group, part II, the same reader writes:

"Is it appropriate to ask my study group questions of my own only, and repeatedly after the first and the next....?" 

One of the most important things to keep in mind when you are working with a study group is what you want out of the study group itself.  Most first generation and low income college students use study groups as a way to get to know other students, discuss their assignments with other students, share input and perspective on assignments, learn course material more in depth, and prevent or deal with academic difficulty.


All of these reasons for being in a study group are partially selfish, but meant to help everyone in the group. Study group member should be sharing information, bouncing ideas off of each other, and otherwise working as a collaborative team.

So, it is definitely appropriate to ask questions when you have them, but also help answer questions when you understand the material. If you are willing to help out whenever someone else in your study group has questions, it should not be a problem that you ask a ton of questions.

Just don't take over study group sessions and make them all about you and your questions. Hijacking all of the study group time for your only your own benefit is inappropriate.

Honestly, from your question, it sounds like you may be trying to get more from your study group than you are willing to give. Remember that it is a study group, so things should run smoothly if you contribute to a positive group dynamic and share in the question asking and answering.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

How to start a study group, part II

A reader writes:

"I have always wanted to form a study group on my own, perhaps around a group of 4 - 8 people.  I have replies email from them (all of us do not know each other, rather we have the initial course that we have in common) but didn't know that what to do after that.

Can you give me hints to start the ball rolling? I have an assignment with me, apparently not sure should I just type out the question and email to the group and wait for any reply?"

I've written about starting a study group before, so please check out that post for additional hints to getting the ball rolling for your study group. But I must say congratulations, you have already done one of the first steps to forming a study group by emailing a few students in your class.

Now that you have already contacted a couple of classmates, what you do next will largely depend on what you want out of the study group itself.

If you want to use this as an opportunity to get to know other students and/or discuss the assignment with other students, definitely try to arrange a time for everyone to get together to go over the assignment you already have. Keep in mind the due date and how much time you think the assignment will take when thinking about a meeting time.

When it comes to getting everyone's available times and setting a time for everyone to meet, try using a handy scheduling tool like Doodle to make it easy on yourself. If your campus uses an online student calendar, that might be a handy tool to use for study group scheduling also.

If you want to get other students' input and perspective on the assignment, but don't necessarily need the face-to-face interaction, you can email them your questions, comments, and concerns about the assignment and ask for their feedback. This can be a good way to ease into having a study group without the pressure of coordinating a group.

If you are really unsure about what you want out of the study group, it would be appropriate to email your fellow study group-mates and let them know that you are open-minded to how the study group should function and you want to get their input in forming the group.

Remember, it's okay to let them know that this is the first study group that you have formed. Chances are that another student with more experience working with study groups will help you out. If that is not the case, check out your campus' tutoring center. Often, tutoring and study skills centers have more information about forming study group.

Really, it boils down to being clear about what goals you have for the study group and plan according to that. Good luck with your study group!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

How can I stregnthen my grad school application?

A reader writes:

"I'm a low-income, first-generation college student applying to a graduate program in urban planning. I scored over 1000 altogether on the old GRE but my quantitative score is pretty low (420). Since retaking the GRE is not an option right now, what can I do to strengthen my application? My GPA is well over 3.8 but I'm a bit worried that too much emphasis will be placed on my low quantitative score."

First off, congrats on your forthcoming application to graduate school. I love seeing first generation and low income college students go on to graduate education.

Now, stop worrying about your "low" GRE score for now. Instead of being preoccupied with whether or not your score is competitive, find out if your score is competitive. Start with the school's website to see if they have any information about typical GRE scores from applicants or admitted students.

If you don't find anything on the website, it is totally appropriate to email or call the graduate admissions office and inquire about it. Ask "What do you consider a competitive GRE score from strong applicants?" and "How much emphasis is typically put on the quantitative GRE score?"

When you do email or call the admissions office, don't go into specifics about your score (unless they ask you directly). Remember, your goal is just information gathering, not to convince the graduate admissions office of anything.

Keep in mind that you should find out how each school you are planning on applying to treats GRE scores. It can vary widely from program to program, even in the same discipline.

In the event you find out that your GRE score is in fact not as competitive as you would like, you can do a few things to to strengthen your overall application. First, focus on writing an excellent admission essay (statement of purpose, personal statement, etc.). You have the option of addressing the discrepancy between your overall GRE score and quantitative score in your admission essay, just make sure you are not whining about it.

You should also focus on getting strong letters of recommendation from your professors. If you haven't already, building relationships with faculty goes a long way in getting strong letters of recommendation.

I hope you already have done some related experiences, like leadership experience, volunteer work, jobs, research, and internships, too. If you haven't, there is no time like now to do something the shows your dedication and passion to your discipline.

Generally speaking, writing an excellent admission essay, having strong letters of recommendation, and having some related experience under your belt will help you build a competitive graduate school application. However, if you decide to wait and take the GRE again later, make sure you know how the schools you are applying to look at multiple GRE scores. Find out if each school takes the most recent score, only the highest score, or averages the two score.

Good luck building a strong application to graduate school!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.