Mississippi State Alumnus: Fall 1998

Mid-term grades equal success
Mid-term grades in the first semester of college are by far the best single predictor of academic performance over the freshman and sophomore years. In a 1996 study of freshmen at Mississippi State, one-third of the freshmen were doing poor academic work at mid-term. This group had an average grade-point average of 1.91 at the end of their freshman year. By the end of the sophomore year, more than 50 percent of these students were no longer enrolled at MSU; those remaining at MSU had an average GPA of 2.21.

In contrast, the 50 percent of the freshman class who were doing average work academically at mid-term in their first semester, had an average GPA of 2.90 at the end of their freshman year and at the end of their sophomore year. Nearly 90 percent of this group was still enrolled at MSU in spring 1998.

The 20 percent of the freshmen doing superior academic work at mid-term in their first semester had an average GPA of 3.57 at the end of the freshman year and 3.52 at the end of the sophomore year; 98 percent were still enrolled at MSU in spring 1998. The relationship between mid-term grades the first semester in college and overall GPA is not simply an indicator that bright students make good grades from the beginning onward. If this were true, ACT scores would be a better predictor of academic success than they are. The fact is that many students with low ACT scores made good grades and some students with high ACT scores did not perform well academically.

The relationship between first semester and mid-term grades and overall academic performance the first year probably is primarily a function of which students find out early what is expected of them in each of their classes and commit to meeting those expectations.

Attending class equals success
There is a strong relationship between attending class regularly during the first semester in college and overall GPA at the end of the freshman year. In 1996, about 70 percent of the freshmen did not miss any of their classes more than five times during the first semester in college.

Most students admitted to Mississippi State University have the ability to complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree, yet about half of each year's entering freshmen fail to graduate in six years. Why? Although many factors contribute to lack of academic success and/or failure to graduate, recent studies at MSU have demonstrated the extreme importance of the first two months of the freshman year.

This group had an overall GPA of 2.98 at the end of the year. The 30 percent of the freshmen who missed one or more classes at least six times in their first semester had an overall average GPA of 2.31 at the end of the year. For the 1997 freshmen, absences at mid-term in the first semester were correlated with GPA at the end of the freshman year. Students with no indication of an absence problem had an overall average GPA of 2.80. Students with some absence problems had an overall average GPA of 2.35 at the end of the freshman year, and students with substantial absence problems had an overall average GPA of 1.65 at the end of the year.

Keys to succeeding in college
The significant point is that most students who perform poorly academically and/or do not remain at MSU find themselves in academic difficulty very early in the first semester. The most effective steps students can take to increase the chances of success in college are:

Mississippi State's commitment to success
The university community has responsibilities to its students. The primary goal is to provide the best possible opportunities for students to learn. No matter what the size of the class, the instructor should be willing to answer students' questions and inform students of faculty expectations.

In the summer semester of 1998, Mississippi State University began enhancing attempts to assist freshmen experiencing academic difficulties. During summer Orientation, the importance of class attendance was stressed, and instructors are monitoring and reporting absences from the first day of classes rather than waiting until mid-term to report absences.

In addition, faculty, academic support staff, and residence hall assistants are increasing efforts to advise and assist students with poor grades and/or frequent absences. Also, President Portera sent a letter informing the parents of freshmen concerning the university's efforts to increase academic performance. The goal is to give each student a better opportunity to succeed at Mississippi State University.

Dr. David L. McMillen is a professor of psychology at Mississippi State. He holds a bachelor's degree from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. His specialties include social psychology, staff development, and interpersonal relations.