The Disappearing Student.

369 randomly selected freshmen. (1962) at the University of New Mexico were sent a questionnaire related to college attrition, and the attitudes of withdrawees and continuers. were compared regarding teachers,. `counselors, facilities, and various personal experiences and conditions that might lead to withdrawal. The results failed to support reasons. for attrition commonly cited in the literature. Only 5 items distinguished the groups' reaction to the college environment. In fact, the continuers were more negative toward the college environment than the withdrawees. Only 3 reasons generally related to attrition differentiated the groups: withdrawees felt that problems of marriage, family finance, and general unhappiness were somewhat more important than did the continuers. These findings indicate that the real causes for college withdrawal have yet to be discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]