Students are dropping out of college before even starting - Nick Anderson, Washington Post

To combat the problem, Georgia State University experimented in 2016 with automated texts to guide incoming students on financial aid and enrollment. Had they finished the Free Application for Federal Student Aid? Had they submitted their final high school transcript? Did they have a tuition payment plan, and had they made a housing deposit? Did they know about freshman orientation? Results suggested that the additional communication cut Georgia State’s melt rate three percentage points, to 12 percent. In many cases, Page said, text messages like these function as “a stand-in for a nagging parent” who can remind students of their to-do list. Skeptics say high school graduates need time and space to settle on their path. Maybe it is wise, they say, to pause before taking out a major student loan or going to college unprepared. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/the-fight-against-summer-melt-some-think-texting-can-keep-college-plans-on-track/2018/08/22/bd6d7c7c-9ef8-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html