MISSION COLLEGE COUNSELORS WIN PRAISE FROM 2005 GRADUATES

A survey of Mission College’s 2005 graduates gives high marks to the college’s counseling staff for guiding students through the process of earning a degree.

The survey by the college’s Office of Student Services found that well over 90 percent of those responding expressed satisfaction with the counseling department, with half describing their experiences with counselors as “very good” – the highest rating in the survey.

Graduates felt similarly satisfied with the services of the college’s admissions office. Among respondents, 97 percent rated their experiences with that office as “very good” or satisfactory, with only three percent reporting “poor” experiences with the admissions unit.

Mission College’s 2005 graduating class included 429 degree candidates. Nearly 60 percent of them completed the survey, designed to help Mission College improve its student services.

“These graduates just spent two, three years or more at Mission College,” said David Green, acting vice president, student services. “Who better to tell us what works and what doesn’t?”

In fact, the graduates were specifically asked if services on campus needed improvement. More than 50 percent of the respondents said “no,” but 47 percent indicated “yes.” Given an opportunity to indicate areas where improvement is needed, the graduates shared their ideas, ranging from the high cost of books, to lack of sufficient tutors and parking facilities.

Students were asked to make suggestions for improvement. The most common theme in the responses is the need for expanded service hours – particularly for evening students – in the various student service units, including counseling, the bookstore, admissions, and the library. Another common theme is the need for improved customer service, with several students noting “rude employees.”

“Our enrollment is about evenly divided between day, day-and-evening, and evening students,” said Green. “With our limited staffing, it’s difficult to have all services available when students need them. But it’s a goal we’d like to meet.”

In the open-ended, non-scientific survey, the graduates were also asked to indicate what made them feel “connected” to the college. This question also yielded a wide range of answers, but the most common response centered on relationships with teachers, counselors, staff, or a combination of these. This was followed by responses citing friendship with fellow students; Mission College’s “small, friendly” campus; clubs and activities; and classes.

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