Record numbers of students flocked to college campuses this fall with high hopes of obtaining what many say is the new prerequisite for a middle class life: a college degree. But the harsh reality is that little more than half those bright-eyed college freshmen, on average, will actually finish. The gap between access and completion has put a new focus on ramping up retention--the percentage of freshmen who return to the same institution for a second year of college. Just as there are multiple reasons for dropping out--from money to academics to lack of direction--there is a range of initiatives emerging to boost college completion. Counselors and mentors are texting students to remind them of tests, connecting families with financial-aid sources, and guiding students through the social transition to college. Freshman seminars, tutors, course-placement tests, and comprehensive learning-assistance centers or labs are used to help guide students through the college transition.