Above: Deb Tobine of the undergraduate Advising Center and Nancy Dyer of the Counseling and Human Relations Center at Plymouth State University

Plymouth State University Students Weigh In

One junior at PSU had this to say about the advising center and their assistance in guiding classes, "My adviser didn't have time for me, he told me 10 minutes into our meeting that he had to go."  Another sophomore jumped in and mentioned that she didn't know she was even assigned an adviser because she didn't recall hearing about it during her orientation.  Two students I talked to also expressed how they had dealt with roommates or friends that were depressed and borderline suicidal, and they weren't aware that help was available to them.
Another student I spoke with also mentioned she had done similar research, focusing on the performance of the Health Center at Plymouth State.  Ana Bitto said that she had spoken with many students regarding the Health Center's availability and location.  She found that many students weren't aware there was a Health Center available to them, and their hours make it difficult for sick students to receive treatment (9-4, Monday-Friday).  "A variety of people I've talked to on campus find it challenging to get the medication they need with such minimal time in the day, thus making it harder for them to attend classes, study, or get the proper nutrition they need to get better", said Bitto.

National Findings on Student Discontent/Depression

You’ve finally entered college after four (or more) striving years of your parents encouraging you to get the best grades possible, breathing down your neck, and dropping you off at school to make sure you actually go in.  You got your high school diploma and you chose to take the next step on your own, enrolling in a four-year school in hopes of furthering your education.  Now that you’re here, who’s pushing you to get good grades? To go to class? To buy your books?  You are.  College is the time that you become in control of your own destiny, as far as education goes.  For many college students, there is no support system to coddle them when they fail a test or forget about a quiz, or even when they slip into a depression.  In this article we will examine the effect college life has on young adults and what services are available, and which ones should be implemented, changed or improved.  Support systems, motivation and drive will also be looked into further.

In a 2013 poll conducted by Gallup Student Polls, which aims to predict students’ success in future academics, students in grades five through twelve were given 20 questions each that measures the  hope, engagement and well-being of these students.  The average student ranked their hope at 54%, which encompasses their academic achievements as well as the credits they have earned.  They recorded 55% for engagement, which pertains to how well they are known by their professors and how often they get to do what they want.  In the last segment, the students scored a 66% for well-being, or how they are doing and how they perceive their success in the future.  While these students scored only slightly above the middle mark, it shows there are areas that can be improved upon even in high schools.  Some of the questions the students marked as low were “I can find lots of ways around any problem” and “I know I will find a good job after I graduate” (Fall 2013 U.S. Overall Gallup Student Poll Results).  Before these students even enter college, they are worried about the jobs they will find and the problems they may come across, which should raise a red flag to anyone concerned with providing a better education with better opportunities for the future.

In another report analyzing four-year public colleges and universities, the 2013 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report focuses on getting a better understanding for the areas on campus that matter most to students, as well as rates the performance of these areas and the satisfaction they represent for the student.  The area that was listed most important to students at four-year universities was the academic advising service.   The average importance to students weighed in at 6.36 out of 10, with their satisfaction with the service being only 5.37, there is a gap of .99.  Safety and Security was another area of campus life which the importance was ranked at 6.23, with the actual satisfaction coming in at 4.78, leaving a performance gap of 1.45.  Students also rated campus support systems for an importance of 6.07, with their actual satisfaction measuring at 5.14, which shows a .66 performance gap between the two (2013 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report).  It is inevitably important to recognize what the information in this report is detailing.  It shows that the opportunities available are not up to par in terms of providing what a student might actually need.  Students’ voices should be heard, because after all it is their education that they are paying their universities and colleges an arm and a leg for.