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The Employed Ohio State Undergraduate Student
You may have both older and traditional-aged students in your classroom who have other responsibilities. Many of the undergraduate students at Ohio State have job responsibilities while attending college. It will not be uncommon to have students in your class who are employed and attending classes either full-time (12 credit hours or more) or part-time.
A survey of Ohio State undergraduates conducted in spring 2006 investigated the employment status of undergraduates while enrolled in school. Approximately 2700 students participated in this survey: 31% were freshmen, 27% sophomores, 16% juniors, and 26% seniors. Sixty percent (1628 students) were employed while they were enrolled. Of these 1628 students:
- 30% were employed on campus
- 25% were employed off campus
- 4% held more than one job
- 5% were employed full-time
- 51% were employed part-time
Some reasons that students gave for being employed while taking classes at Ohio State include earning extra money; paying for books, tuition, fees, and other educational expenses; paying for living expenses; and gaining practical experience for future employment.
One of your responsibilities and challenges as an instructor will be understanding how to appreciate and accommodate the diverse backgrounds and talents of the students in your classroom. In autumn 2006, of the total undergraduate student population, approximately 91% enrolled full-time and 9% enrolled part-time. Full-time undergraduate students will usually take between 15 and 17 credit hours each quarter, and usually will attend three quarters per year, taking one quarter off to work or to take a break from academic life. Following this schedule, students can expect to finish an undergraduate degree in some 12 quarters over four calendar years. However, looking at graduation rates, approximately 40% of an incoming freshman class will graduate in four years, another 25% will take five years, and still another 5% will take six years to graduate.
There are several reasons why more students do not graduate in four years. Apart from working to support themselves, many students have their studies interrupted by illness, family emergencies, or by opportunities for employment; some change majors or transfer to other institutions; and, in some cases, the number of credit hours required for a particular major makes it difficult to graduate within a four-year period.
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