Prestigious Women's College able to address root causes of undergraduate attrition

SITUATION
Private women’s college was baffled as to why so many freshman students were dropping out after the first semester, despite having a presumably thorough exit interview process.

INSIGHTS
Students reported feeling a lack of support from college staff, specifically mentors and role models to help with adjusting to college life and being away from home. These feelings were inaccessable with previous traditional research techniques.

IMPLICATIONS
Client introduced a new first semester course to provide a more intimate college experience, as identified by Resonance insights. Simmons established a new policy where staff members and student peers meet on a monthly basis to mentor new students.

RESULTS
Student attrition dropped by more than 20% and student morale and performance increased.