Pursuing Postsecondary Education On Campus

Going to a four-year university or college is not always the best choice for many students. This is due to what many of these colleges and universities offer their students that come from a lower socioeconomic background. This essay will aim to demonstrate the issues that students may face when they pursue a postsecondary education.

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

With the workforce becoming more competitive in today’s economy, the educational requirements have increased. By the year 2020, approximately 65% of all jobs in the United States will require a postsecondary education and/or further training proceeding high school education (“Recovery”). One thing that is not increasing is the rate of college enrollment of students from the Detroit Public Schools or college enrollment in general. There are many factors that contribute to this problem, just as there are also many solutions that may help assuage it. The main reason why students from Detroit Public Schools are not enrolling in postsecondary education institutions has to do with their financial situation.

Community colleges in the United States develop rapidly and have become a vital component of the postsecondary education delivery system. As of 2011-2012 school year, 45% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in public two-year colleges, approximately 8.3 million students (Knapp et al., 2012. Cited by AACC Fast Facts). And it seems that with globalization and Obama’s education agenda, the trend of growing enrollment in community colleges won’t change. A high school graduate who decides to pursue postsecondary education may face with a dilemma--whether enroll in a community college or a traditional four-year college. Even within a community college, a student may be faced with a choice—enroll in a vocational program and enter workforce after graduation with a vocational certification, or choose an academic program with an intention of transferring to four-year institutions.

After twelve years of school, where will you go next? Many of you have developed the ambition to prolong your education and attend college. Today, there are many more options than there were in the past. One does not have to graduate high school and go straight to a four year university. It is sometimes better for a student to go to a community college and focus on transfer courses or simply get an Associate’s Degree. On the other hand, there are young adults that prefer to leap straight into a university and focus on the specific program for their Bachelor’s Degree.

Kanno & Kangas, 2014), rigorous college preparation begins in middle school, when students must take the prerequisite classes to advanced high school courses. By the time students reach high school, advanced placement courses may be out of reach for those who have not taken the preparatory classes (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Given that a rigorous secondary school curriculum seems to predict college success (Flores et al., 2012), ensuring that former ELLs enroll and succeed in high-level classes is integral to promoting equitable college readiness. Indeed, students who take advanced coursework tend to develop more higher-level thinking skills, analytical abilities, and positive attitudes than students who take basic courses (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). Most recently, Flores et al. (2012) analyzed student data from Texas and found that taking high-level and dual-credit courses is a strong predictor of immediate college enrollment for all students regardless of ELL

“In fall 2016, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000” (National Center for Education Statistics). That number seems to be rising each and ever year, and it almost seems as students feel like they have to go to college directly after high school. Maybe it is because they feel that they have to fit in, even if college is not for them. Although some students attend college for academics, sports, and other reasons, some students attend college for no apparent reason; with that in mind, students should take into consideration the time and money that is put into going to college.

New studies show that our current remedial classes may be hurting students instead of helping them. Currently, students are spending their tuition and scholarship money on remedial classes instead of classes that would help them earn their degree (BigFuture, 2017). While the remedial classes are there to help students pass their credit-bearing classes, colleges might want to consider pairing them with the credit-bearing classes that they are supposed to be helping the students pass. Four years of data have shown that those who were placed in higher-level

In Alina Tugend’s article, “Revamping Community Colleges to Improve Graduation Rates,” several points are discussed regarding graduation rates and what community colleges can complete by reforming the structure of the schools. Many of the points discussed cover topics of problems with remedial classes, tuition costs, and inadequate student-to-advisor ratios among community colleges across the nation. I found that, with the progression of Tugend’s sentences, I agreed exponentially with everything she wrote. Reforming community colleges will improve graduation rates by allowing remedial classes to benefit students rather than hinder them, lowering the overall cost of college, and providing more advisors to help with students’ needs.

San Jose Mercury News Editorial, authors of “Remedial costs are too high for CSU to bear” highlight the San Jose State University policy that took place in 2009. The policy is about Freshmen students who are required to take remedial classes since their math or English basic college-level aren 't good enough.To notice these students that need help ahead of time CSU created the Early Assessment Program . Even though CSU created the voluntary Early Assessment Program, which has an essay and two dozen questions that are included in standardized tests given to juniors, many students didn 't pass it. Those students who don’t take the Early Assessment Program or aren 't qualified will have to take online tutorials and remedial classes which take a year to study. Sadly, there’ll be no repeat chances for those students who don 't pass their remedial courses. They may have to hire tutors or take courses off campus to gain the basic knowledge "they should have received in high school," as the authors said. The author assume that it 's both students and their high school 's responsibility for college readiness, and I strongly agree with the authors ' aurgement. College readiness shouldn 't be CSU. However, College readiness is high schools obligation , and students duty as well.

Students go to college in search of knowledge, a new lifestyle, and the hope of a job after graduation. For many young adults, college is a rite of passage into an independent, mature new lifestyle. Not only is higher education a rite of passage, for some, it is also an opportunity to have a better life. Overall, college is a wonderful part of many people’s lives, yet the way the college education system is conducted wastes students time and money. College is basically composed of two parts: general education classes and major specific classes. General education courses are the source of wasted time and money, and should not be required of students. A few of the problems associated with general education classes are that they are

The readings from “The Postsecondary State Policy Network”, led by Jobs for the Future, is a multistate partnership that is assists states in setting policies that will lead to student success and completion. The supporters of this initiative are Achieving the Dream, Completion by Design and Student Success Center. The primary focus is supporting structured student pathways from connection to college through completion. The four pathways are connection, entry, progress and completion (2014).

After being up all night working on your third paper this week, you walk into an auditorium that is packed to the brim with hundreds of other students. Over the past few years in your old high school, that averaged fifteen to twenty students per classroom, the teachers told you that they had prepared you for college. However, in a survey carried out by campustechnology.com, most college professors find high school graduates unready for college. According to the United States Department of Education, the United States is home to almost thirty thousand high schools, however, they are all useless if they do not adequately prepare our students for college and the journey that awaits them.

Although many peoples’ most significant memories of college are those outside of the classroom, a degree is not conferred based upon such things. Rather, students’ academic performance is what determines whether students earn a degree or certificate. Academic issues were a point of concern at many institutions as incoming students often struggled with basic skills. Furthermore, international students who needed remedial English were less likely to persist (Mamiseishvili, 2012). There have been numerous issues, obstacles, and challenges that may inhibit a student’s ability to navigate the rigors of college. Much has been discussed concerning improved educational opportunities for minority and underrepresented students in

“Do you think students will still succeed in college even without taking remedial or developmental classes? “. An article written by Emily Hanford titled “Struck at Square One: College students increasingly caught in remedial education trap” revolved around some students who thinks that remedial classes are needed or unnecessary. Developmental classes or also known as remedial classes are given to students who are considered not yet ready for university level classes. Some students must take this class before they could enroll in a college level class. They need these type of classes in order to build up skills and knowledge they did not acquire on high school. Developmental education, although helpful and informative