Summer Quarter Report
Appendix 7c
The focus groups began with an intentionally broad line of inquiry. The first question posed to students was, "What are the barriers to graduating in four years?" Respondents were instructed to call out the first things that came to mind and not to spend too much time formulating their answers.
In each of the groups, one of the first barriers mentioned was changing one's mind or losing focus. A few students associated this hesitancy with the overwhelming number of choices or the daunting task of deciding what to spend the rest of their life doing. Some students thought the largest barrier was lack of planning early on. Others experienced delays because they had changed majors. The notion of having to apply for a major, rather than simply declaring a major, caused delays for some, particularly if their application was denied.
Another frequently mentioned obstacle was getting into classes. Unsurprisingly, many students talked about the difficulty of getting into high demand courses, especially certain prerequisites. Another related issue is scheduling conflicts that arise because certain courses are not offered every quarter. For a few individuals, back-logged waiting lists exacerbated the situation. For some other students, the barriers were the sheer volume of prerequisites or uncertainty about which classes fulfill requirements. Several seniors mentioned that the difficulty of many departmental classes is not commensurate with the number of credits. (One class is typically only three or four credits).
Transfer students and double majors had their own unique perspective. Several transfer students talked about the difficulty of transferring credits, and the pitfalls of having credits approved on a case by case basis. As might be expected, students with double majors must accrue more credits, especially if their majors are in two separate colleges.
Finally, there was the role of financial constraints. According to students, money definitely plays a role in being able to graduate on time. Many participants talked about the pressures of working and going to school at the same time.
Summer Quarter Report
Appendix 7c
