How Important are Student Support Services for Students?

Student support services help to improve the quality of student learning, reduce university dropout rates, and promote academic performance.

Fremont, CA: Student support services are more than just a great reward for students who are enrolled in college or university programs. Many students can symbolize the difference between a degree and a dropout. Nonetheless, many programs continue to underpublicized the availability of student support services. Others may use them well in marketing materials but then abandon them after a student has enrolled. If an institution's goal is to promote student retention, student support services are an important weapon in its toolbox. They help students stay engaged, overcome barriers, and achieve their goals.

Here’s how student support services are helpful to students:

Increased student engagement

Students who do not have access to support services are like the odd person out at a party. They may want to participate, but they are unsure how. As a result, they wind up feeling like outcasts, cut off from the community. They believe no one will notice or care if they leave early. With student support services, it is like showing up to a party where half the guests are known. One can have a better chance of mingling and meeting new individuals. Networking activities, cultural events, peer mentorship, gyms, and skill workshops are all examples of support services that assist students to participate with their school community. This makes individuals feel more connected and more likely to stay even when things go difficult.

Removing the barriers

Every learner must endure some difficulties. It could be financial issues, problems retaining childcare, or a confidence crisis brought on by a particularly rigorous class. Such obstacles can obstruct student progress. Student support services assist in keeping these students enrolled by providing them with resources to overcome their barriers to completion. Tutoring, childcare, financial aid services, student healthcare, mental health services, IT support, and a variety of other programs can help students strive and achieve their objectives.

Helping students achieve their goals

The majority of students are driven by professional ambitions. They see a degree as a method to enhance their earnings, begin a new career, or position themselves for advancement. Students can use student support services to help them connect what they learn in class to the skills they need to be successful in their careers. Career counseling, internships, resume assistance, job fairs, and other career-related activities address the underlying motivation that drives many students to attend schools in the first place.