Lori Graves, Mia Ruther, Adam Todd
College is hard. No one can deny that. There are so many things that we deal with, figuring out how to pay rent, buy food and necessities, pay for your books and tuition, all while trying to juggle classes and homework. Sometimes it’s difficult to know where we can go when we need help with our day to day problems.
While DMACC has many programs to ensure student success, there are a few that they don’t offer. A study done by The Chronicle of Higher Education shows that only 25.1% of Iowa Community College students graduate with a degree. Compare that to most Iowa public four-year universities that have a graduation rate of about 41.5%. There are many reasons that students don’t complete their studies, and while DMACC has many programs to ensure student success, there are a few they don’t offer that would be very helpful.
DMACC has a diverse population. We have students of all ages, backgrounds, and some of us are raising families while trying to balance work and school. Many of us are living on our own for the first time, in dorms, or with roommates off campus and some with their parents and/or families. We all struggle with balancing school and homework with jobs and spending time with our friends and families. Luckily DMACC has several resources that can make managing these problems a little bit easier.
DMACC has many programs in place to assist students with various issues. By doing a search for “student resources” on the DMACC website, one can find information on how to access assistance with just about everything. But there’s more! According to Erin Neumann, the coordinator of student and community resources on the Boone campus, Dmacc assists students in many other ways:
The Student & Community Resource Center promotes participants’ personal,
academic, and career growth through a variety of services, including career
counseling, academic/pre-enrollment/financial aid counseling, pre-employment counseling, referrals to appropriate supportive agencies (examples: Vocational Rehabilitation, Iowa Child Care Assistance, etc.), and financial assistance for
child care and transportation for eligible individuals.
Many four-year colleges have learning communities, supplemental instruction, and several tutoring options; specifically, Iowa State University has what is known as their “Academic Success Center (ASC)”, which on their website is described as “a collection of services and programs designed to help [students] reach [their] academic goals” They have several helpful options similar to what DMACC’s Academic Achievement Center (AAC) offers, along with “Peer Ambassadors” undergrad students helping other undergrad students, presentations and workshops to improve academic skills, and has supplemental instruction for classes that are typically difficult. Learning communities at ISU consist of students who are typically in the same major and are taking several classes together. In these communities, students can work on homework and projects together, as well as get to know people with similar interests.
DMACC does offer similar academic learning communities for student-athletes, but other students would benefit from them as well and they would be easy for DMACC to implement since no matter how many students chose to be part of them, they would still help those who need them.
Overall, DMACC has many resources available for struggling students, however making some simple changes could make a huge difference in every student’s success at DMACC.
Remember, if you happen to find yourself in need of a little help, you can check out www.dmacc.edu/students/Pages/studentresources.aspx . You will find links to everything that DMACC has to offer, and if you don’t find what you need you can contact Erin Neumann on the Boone campus for assistance. Don’t continue to struggle, the help you need is out there