Welcome back to Eastern and congratulations for returning for another semester of classes.

The previous statement might seam somewhat absurd, but it will make sense soon enough. The Seattle Times recently reported that one in four college freshmen don’t return for a second year of school. So I repeat myself, congratulations for returning for another semester of classes.

Retaining students is one area that Eastern excels in. Eastern’s Web site states the university retains over 80 percent of its freshmen. This leads to another strength of Eastern: graduation rate. The Web site also proclaims Eastern’s graduation rate of 68 percent places it in the top 10 percent among peer institutions in the Midwest.

Why does Eastern post such great numbers in these areas? Is it because of the university’s great location? Somehow I doubt the cultural epicenter of Coles County that is Charleston is the reason students keep returning to Eastern.

Is it Eastern’s fine athletics program that keeps students coming back? Even though Eastern routinely wins the overall Ohio Valley Championship, but swarms of students don’t exactly pack O’Brien Stadium, Lantz Arena and other venues on campus.

I know! It must be the great high-speed Internet connection students get on campus. Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

Maybe the answer to why Eastern retains so many students can be found in a study published by Stanford University on the top 10 myths about college. The 10 myths the report list are as follows:

Myth No. 1: I can’t afford college.

Myth No. 2: I have to be a stellar athlete or student to get financial aid.

Myth No. 3: Meeting high school graduation requirements will prepare me for college.

Myth No. 4: Getting into college is the hardest part.

Myth No. 5: Community colleges don’t have academic standards.

Myth No. 6: It’s better to take easier classes in high school and get better grades.

Myth No. 7: My senior year in high school doesn’t matter.

Myth No. 8: I don’t have to worry about my grades or what classes I take until my sophomore year.

Myth No. 9: I can’t start thinking about financial aid until I know where I’m going to college.

Myth No. 10: I can take whatever classes I want when I get to college.

Most of these myths relate to what students can do to better prepare themselves for college, but the number one myth on the list is something Eastern is able to debunk rather easily.

An in-state Eastern student taking 15 credit hours a semester pays under $2,500 in tuition and fees. At the University of Illinois, tuition and fees are $7,790.

Tuition isn’t the only reason students stay at Eastern, but it is a big reason for many students.

The most important reason why Eastern retains so many is because of the students, and to the ones reading this column I wish you good luck this spring and in semesters to follow.