Does low retention rate=better school??

Some may wonder if a low retention rate makes a school better or worse than other schools. When a school is rated "number one", a number of things are looked at before the determination is made. According to Kiplinger.com, when rating the top public schools they: "examined the academic quality, including ACT/SAT scores, admission rates, freshman retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and graduation rates. They then ranked the schools on costs, financial aid, and average debt after graduation. Final scores were achieved by combining the two rankings, weighting more heavily for academic quality". Although the retention rate is looked at, it does not play the only role in measuring the top schools.

I think the school someone chooses to go to should be based on their needs and goals. Different schools are good for different things. I think that students should look at retention rates when choosing a school to attend, but I do not think that should be the make or break factor. After all, it is based on the entire student body. You can't base that kind of decision on the things that other people do. Students should choose a school based on what they know they are capable of. If someone knows that they are the type of student that does not want to put forth much effort, why waste the money to go to an expensive school? They would be better off attending a community college and save themselves (or parents/government) the money. The students that know that they have the drive and motivation it takes to complete college should look at schools for the programs they offer and choose one that fits their needs.

Students that are motivated and work hard to succeed are the ones that make up the better part of the retention rate. For students that lack motivation and do not do any work are the ones that unfortunately lower retention rates. I do not think that this rate has much to do with the school as a whole. I think it has to do more with the type of students attending. I think that schools should examine their retention rate to get an idea of what they are dealing with, but I do not think that the rate should either positively or negatively reflect on the school as a whole.