Essay On College Completion Rates

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

“What’s the key to success in the United States?”(Steinberg,2010), author Jacques Steinberg starts off his article “Plan B: Skip College” with a powerful question that has been asked by many Americans. Majority of Americans first thoughts would be higher education. The ideology that obtaining a degree is the best and sometimes only way to be successful in the American economy. This has been instilled in numerous children growing up. Steinberg states “perhaps no more than half of who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years according to the department of education”(Steinberg,2010). Students who tend to not excel in high school often take longer, or at times finish a higher education at all. These

Being able to attend and graduate college is a dream and the next step in life for many students. However, going to college and finishing school are two completely different things. There has been a decrease in students who completed college. Researchers are wondering, what is causing students to not finish schooling? There are many reasons and questions to why it could be affecting the completion of college rates. One of the main issue is the skyrocketing cost of college tuitions. Majority of students are having stress and anxiety for not being able to afford college. This result in having to take out a student loan and having to pay thousands of dollars after they graduate. The last thing students want for their future is having to work

This can be seen in the significant rise in the number of people attending college. Fall-term enrollment rose from 7.4 million in 1970 to 12.7 million in 1999 and has been steadily increasing since (Wonacott 3). Today, many students, that might have otherwise never enrolled, are pressured into attending college by parents and other role models. Even the American government is pursuing the idea of everyone having a degree. “...federal policy, backed by billions of taxpayer dollars in loans and grants, has aggressively encouraged more and more students to try to obtain a college education.”(Murray 2). Secondary schools are pushing harder for their graduates to move on to higher education as well. According to Charles Murray, “ A survey of high school students found that more than 90% of them were encouraged by their high-school counselors to go to college” (Murray 1). This shows that more people are subscribing to the idea that everyone should go to college, and for good reason. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19 of the 20 highest paying jobs require a bachelor’s degree or higher (Occupational). If someone wants to have a high-paying, professional career they must attend

As the price of a bright future is becoming more expensive many more students are dropping out, or not going to college at all. Over 40% of full time four-year students fail to earn a Bachelor's degree within 6 years and many never complete their education. With tuition rates rising many families

As of late, there has been major contention about the standards of American education, one of the major points being the cost to obtain a degree. Current societal standards have condition people to aim for a prestigious degree that will help make it 's holder successful. Of course, society defines success, for an individual, as being highly intelligent, outgoing, wealthy, and family-oriented. Yet, many American citizens are still stuck trying to meet the first item in the success definition. If a person refuses to attend post-secondary school in fear that the certificate of completion will offer no return on investment, or decides to quit due to financial hardships, then how can society uphold its expectation of that person 's success? Much work needs to be done to assuage the fear of a wasted investment, to motivate an individual to continue attending school despite financial difficulties, and to help individuals achieve the expected level of success that comes from higher education.

Students in today’s society are prompted by all teachers to go to college, and this idea is being reinforced more than ever. Although there are a select few people that do not belong in college, this idea has never been more true. Jobs that require a college degree are becoming more abundant, and these jobs need to be filled. The only way these jobs can be filled is if the number of college graduates increases at the same pace as jobs that require a college degree are. Many issues over time have arisen on this matter, which has slowed down the growth rate of college degrees produced. Although these issues have slowed the production of college degrees, the demand has never been more high. There will always be jobs that do not require a college degree but the most important jobs to our country’s growth will require a person to have a postsecondary education.

This leads us to another big issue, the fact that many students are not properly prepared by their school or college counselors in order to get through the college process or to achieve beyond getting admitted into a school. Jason Deparle from The New York Times reports about three students who showed a promising future after they graduated high school. However four years passed and not one of them has achieved a degree, and a big reason was that they were not prepared to meet ends meet in

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the overall graduation rate peaked at eight-two percent during the 2013-2014 school year. (Kamenetz 2015:1). According to Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, graduation rates have been steadily improving since a tracking system was adopted to monitor it. This rate can also be attributed to the fact that initial warning systems have been adopted to ensure that students remain on track to graduation. Additional diploma tracks have also been offered to protect graduation rates. This can also be paralleled to the fact that the high school dropout rate among those aged sixteen to twenty-four has decreased from 10.9 percent in 2009 to 6.8 percent in 2013 (NCES 2015:4). Nonetheless, if more students are graduating from high school than in the past, it is important to examine where they are going afterward. In the fall of 2015, 20.2 million students enrolled in American colleges and universities. This data illustrates that there has been a 4.9 million increase in students attending American colleges and universities since 2000 (NCES 2015:5). Furthermore, 65.5 percent of students enrolled in a college or university immediately after graduating from high school in 2013. Thus, most students enrolled in public schools graduate and attend college, unlike in the past. These rates may be attributed to the fact that it is much more vital to possess a high school diploma and college degree than in the past, regardless of the state of public education. However, these rates still indicate the emergence of positive academic and social outcomes in public

Available data suggests that many students who enroll in higher education are underprepared, and that persistence and graduation rates at many institutions need to improve. The number of students who are ill prepared for postsecondary education is on the rise and as a result, less than 63 percent of students are completing their four-year degree within a six-year period (Bettinger, Boatman & Long, 2013; Douglas & Attewell, 2014). Public officials and others are dissatisfied with the National graduation completion rates and

Good evening! I apologize for bothering you, but I was wondering if there is any way possible that I could get my schedule changed. I would specifically like to change my elective which at the current moment is AP Stat. This change is necessary for many reasons, but there are two prominent reasons that I would like to discuss.

“Studying is something I really love doing, and I just hope to have enough money for tuition.” (Alexandra Kosteniuk) Although every college student struggles to find the money to pay for the ever rising cost of college the enrollment of students is still growing. The National Center for Education Statistics claims in 2013 the enrollment of students increased 20 percent in comparison to 2003’s enrollment.(The National Center for Education Statistic) How high is the completion rate though? Study show that only 52.9 percent of adults who go to a four year college actually graduate in 2009 (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center). There are many different reasons for students to drop out one of them being the ever growing price tag on their education. The cost of college will always increase and this is causing people to thinking twice about the ever lasting effects on their relationships, career paths, or even the choice of not going to college at all.

According to an article in The New York Times titled, “Fewer U.S. Graduates Opt for College After High School” written by Floyd Norris, 65.9% of high school graduates attend college. This means that 34.1% of these graduates do not. Some of them may go into the military, or straight into the workforce. College isn’t for everyone. Some people truly struggle with their academics, yet excel greatly in other areas. Although many may not agree, there isn’t a need for all high school graduates to attend college.

According to Danielle Wiener-Bronner a newsletter editor in her article, “What’s Wrong with American Higher Education?” in recent years Americans have been conditioned to believe that college leads to financial success. Some students believe that college is the only way that they will be successful even if college is not meant for them. Students are no longer encouraged to learn and perfect a skill instead they encouraged to pursue higher education at a college or university.

This explains why so many people wish to earn a college degree-According to Cox, "surveys over the past decade suggest that at least 80% of high school students aspire to earn a bachelor degree (2016, 2). These numbers show a substantial gap between postsecondary aspirations and actually degree attainment( Cox, 2016, 2). The idea of furthering your one 's education is wanting to get a job that they know will help them in their future life. When in high school teachers, close friends, and family always make sure that their children further their education. As the years have gone by it is becoming harder and harder to get a decent job without having a GED or a high school diploma. These are some reasons as to why postsecondary educations forced upon high school students.