More Freshmen Linger at Lang
Fewer students transfer
Monday, September 27th, 2010
While official numbers will not be released until October, faculty with knowledge of the situation say that Eugene Lang’s attrition rate, or the number of freshmen who leave after their first year, has actually decreased in the last year.
With increased enrollment and more students returning, Lang is improving its position in the university and better maintaining the financing and organization of their programs.
Lang is a tuition-based institution — when students don’t return, they don’t pay tuition, and Lang loses money. The news of a lower attrition rate has been welcomed around the university.
Stefania de Kenessey, dean of Lang, said the financial issues of attrition do not end at simply being able to run a program. Finding students to fill the unplanned open spaces is a financial burden as well. “It’s crucial at a monetary level because it costs money to recruit students and give them financial aid,” de Kenessey said. “We have to advertise, send admissions folks out, and read applications.”
Nor are academics safe from the damages of attrition. Lang’s programs are not designed to be left halfway through — continuation in a program is paramount for the teaching method to be a success. “It’s important because we plan our programs presuming that people start at one point and end four years later,” de Kenessey said, “It’s very important to have continuity. Having a four-year trajectory in pedagogical terms is crucial.”
Each student’s reason for leaving is their own. Some students are unable to afford the cost of school and city living. For some, the academics aren’t what they’re looking for, and others just don’t love New York.
The $35,330 tuition rate per year combined with the high living expenses of the city can become a burden for students. “Financially we don’t give enough financial aid in many cases,” de Kenessey said.
Although finding off-campus housing can be less expensive than the cost of living in the dorms, which ranges from $12,560 to $16,490 per year, the act of finding an apartment in New York is notoriously difficult. “Housing is an issue because we guarantee housing, but only to freshmen,” de Kenessey said.
Also, some students have challenges with the style of learning at Lang. “They’re just not into the seminar experience,” said Nick Engel, a senior in arts in context, of students who have left Lang.
The enormity of the city combined with being truly independent for the first time can be a challenge for any freshman. “They thought there were going to be all these opportunities and it would be amazing, but it was like, where do you start?” said sophomore Nicolas Tilly of his friends who have left.
Some students, like Tilly, quickly find a tight group of friends and activities outside of school, but others have a harder time finding a niche of their own. “They would go to school and go right to the dorms because it was too overwhelming for them,” said Tilly.
To lower the attrition rate, de Kenessey says Lang has been actively trying to change the dynamics of freshman year. “We really put some of our best and most experienced teachers and pedagogical minds right there for the freshmen coming in,” she said. By offering the best of the best for freshmen, Lang is working to keep them coming back.
With increased enrollment and more students returning, Lang is improving its position in the university and better maintaining the financing and organization of their programs.
Lang is a tuition-based institution — when students don’t return, they don’t pay tuition, and Lang loses money. The news of a lower attrition rate has been welcomed around the university.
Stefania de Kenessey, dean of Lang, said the financial issues of attrition do not end at simply being able to run a program. Finding students to fill the unplanned open spaces is a financial burden as well. “It’s crucial at a monetary level because it costs money to recruit students and give them financial aid,” de Kenessey said. “We have to advertise, send admissions folks out, and read applications.”
Nor are academics safe from the damages of attrition. Lang’s programs are not designed to be left halfway through — continuation in a program is paramount for the teaching method to be a success. “It’s important because we plan our programs presuming that people start at one point and end four years later,” de Kenessey said, “It’s very important to have continuity. Having a four-year trajectory in pedagogical terms is crucial.”
Each student’s reason for leaving is their own. Some students are unable to afford the cost of school and city living. For some, the academics aren’t what they’re looking for, and others just don’t love New York.
The $35,330 tuition rate per year combined with the high living expenses of the city can become a burden for students. “Financially we don’t give enough financial aid in many cases,” de Kenessey said.
Although finding off-campus housing can be less expensive than the cost of living in the dorms, which ranges from $12,560 to $16,490 per year, the act of finding an apartment in New York is notoriously difficult. “Housing is an issue because we guarantee housing, but only to freshmen,” de Kenessey said.
Also, some students have challenges with the style of learning at Lang. “They’re just not into the seminar experience,” said Nick Engel, a senior in arts in context, of students who have left Lang.
The enormity of the city combined with being truly independent for the first time can be a challenge for any freshman. “They thought there were going to be all these opportunities and it would be amazing, but it was like, where do you start?” said sophomore Nicolas Tilly of his friends who have left.
Some students, like Tilly, quickly find a tight group of friends and activities outside of school, but others have a harder time finding a niche of their own. “They would go to school and go right to the dorms because it was too overwhelming for them,” said Tilly.
To lower the attrition rate, de Kenessey says Lang has been actively trying to change the dynamics of freshman year. “We really put some of our best and most experienced teachers and pedagogical minds right there for the freshmen coming in,” she said. By offering the best of the best for freshmen, Lang is working to keep them coming back.
More by this Author
.jpg)
Featured Articles
Comments
problems with Lang's advertised identity