Abstract:

Entering university is characterized as a transition, marked by personal, social, educational and vocational changes, mentioned in scientific literature. During the university academic experience, students face a range of challenges that requires adaptation and decision-making skills. These challenges are difficult for some freshmen and interfere with their continuity in graduation courses. This study aims to inquire college students about the factors they believe are important for their permanency in graduation courses. Participants are 126 college students, 35 women (28%) and 92 men (72%), aged 18 to 44 years old, attending courses at public (49.2%) and private (50.7%) universities in southern Brazil. These participants fulfilled a demographic questionnaire and two additional questions, specifically: (a) Which factors contributes to your permanency in university?; (b) Which factor(s) lead you to give up your graduation course before its end? and which factor(s) would trigger the decision of giving up? Participants report as the most important factors that contribute for their permanency in university, positive expectations about professional future, career motivation and advancement, parental support, and financial support to their academic expenses. On the other hand, factors such as lack of economic resources, family support, eventual personal or family disease, demotivation about professional future, non-identification with their graduation course, as well as weak university infrastructures, were the main reasons reported for a possible college dropout before the end of their graduation course. These results indicate that students’ permanency in graduation courses is a multidimensional process including objective and subjective dimensions. These different permanency/dropout factors need to be known by the university professional counselors, so they can help college students to better adjust to academic context, since the beginning of their graduation course. It would be also important to offer career services (e.g., information and counseling) to university students during the period of their graduation course, in order to prevent college dropout.

Keywords:

College students, graduation course permanency, career development.