A study was conducted at Minneapolis Community College to determine the point at which students dropped out of classes during fall quarter 1981 and to consider whether counseling interventions at any particular point during the quarter could reduce student attrition. A sample of 71 classes (20% of the classes offered) was taken, and instructors provided information on 83.1% of the classes in the sample. Students were classified as "no shows" if they never attended class and as "dropouts" if they attended class but later dropped out either officially or unofficially. Study findings included the following: (1) the number of male and female dropouts and no shows were almost equal, although women made up 62% of the student body; (2) no shows and dropouts made up 71% of all "N" (no credit) and "W" (withdrawal) grades; (3) no shows received 42.2% and dropouts received 28.9% of the "N" and "W" grades; (4) of the students who dropped out, 18.1% did so during the 3rd week of the quarter, 21.0% during the 4th week, 10.5% during the 7th week, and 12.4% during the 8th week; and (5) the patterns of student withdrawal varied among the disciplines, with students in science and mathematics courses tending to drop out later in the quarter than students in social science and humanities courses. Based on the findings, it was recommended that instructors refer no shows and students in academic difficulty to counselors and that courses be held during the 5th week break to keep students in the habit of attending. (HB)