How Colleges Fail “Muddy Middle” Students
Now that I’m retired from academic advising, I can finally write about how I’ve seen colleges fail students (and not worry about being fired!). I hope I can raise awareness of this issue and start a conversation among my fellow higher education professionals and motivate parents of college students, and the students themselves, to demand a change.
I have seen the best of what college can do for students, and know higher education can be truly life-changing. But the following actual exchange best illustrates a hidden issue that colleges would rather keep from public knowledge. This conversation took place between an upper administrator and a team of academic advisors at a large university. They were talking about their students, who were grouped into three areas:
- Honors students and athletes -who already have an additional advising support system (10% of students)
- High-risk students — those who are statistically at greatest risk of dropping out (20% of students)
- Everyone else — the vast bulk of students (70% of students)
Administrator: “We want you to spend your time helping the high-risk students, as we need to meet our retention numbers.”
Advisor: “But we pride ourselves on spending our time helping ALL of our students get the most out of their education. What about those 70% who need our help?”
Administrator: (chuckles) “Yes, we call them the ‘muddy middle’. You don’t have to spend your time with them. They are likely to graduate.”
For those 70% of students (which you were likely one, dear reader, if you attended college recently), often the difference between getting the most out of college and achieving the bare minimum is just random luck — like just happening to meet the right person who can change the course of their lives. At too many institutions (as illustrated by our lovely administrator), the “random luck” factor is standard operating procedure. Yes, opportunities and assistance are provided, as there are advisors, career services, clubs, study abroad and etc… However, it is most often left up to the student to figure out how to best navigate this complex and confusing system. That’s just the way it is, right?
Failure of focus
When I say colleges “fail” students, I am referring to the purposely designed system where the only goals are: recruitment, retention, and graduation. Or as I like to call them, the unholy trinity of higher ed.
You are probably thinking, “What is wrong with that? Why does this bother you so much?” Yes, those goals seem very reasonable, as:
- Colleges need students to survive, so they have to recruit.
- Once students get there, it’s typically good for everyone involved if the student stays in college (though there are good reasons for some to stop out/transfer).
- After spending all that time and money, we would want students to graduate as we know that, for one thing, there usually are significant financial benefits of having a degree (Yes, I can hear you screaming about insane college debt and degrees that lead to nowhere, but those are topics for another day).
Thrive-oriented institutions put the needs of students to the forefront, not the needs of the institution
Here’s a simple comparison regarding institutional priorities concerning students between A) most colleges and B) one institution that has stated a different focus. See if you can spot the difference between the two.
- Most Colleges: Recruit, retain and graduate (focused on institution’s needs)
- Robert Morris University: Arrive, thrive and graduate (focused on students’ needs)
Take a minute to think about the difference between those two words, retain and thrive.
What would a university do if their main goal was to retain you?
What would they do if their main goal was to help you thrive?
What it would do is lead to very different outcomes for students, as thrive-oriented institutions put the needs of students to the forefront, not the needs of the institution.
My next article will discuss what colleges can do to help students thrive and possible action items.
Please note: The vast majority of college faculty and staff I’ve known and spoken with are trying their best to help students. They didn’t create the faulty system, they just work in it with the resources they have (which are not enough).
In the comments below, I would love to hear from other higher education professionals (or you can private message me if you want to be anonymous). For those not working in higher education, what was your (or your child’s) experience with college? Were you a member of the “muddy middle,” and did you feel like you were on your own to get the most out of your education?
Alan Beaudrie is a former academic advisor who is now focusing on home-schooling his adorable and joyful son. He also can’t escape his love/hate relationship with higher education, and would be delighted to connect with those who also want to empower students to get the most out of their educational experience.
