The Growing Problem of College Dropouts

In the article “Colleges Versus Their Dropouts: Who Comes Out On Top?” Natalie Sportelli states that most people believe the key to success is determined by their college diplomas, however, talented people can still achieve in their life without owning a college degree. The author illustrates his idea by demonstrating several famous people’s examples. For instance,  Bill Gates succeeded by earning 80 billion dollars. Another example is Lady Gaga who has an outstanding number of 41.6 million followers on twitter.

In the reading “The College Dropout Boom,” the author, David Leonhardt, describes the college admissions system as being ruthlessly meritocratic. When looking at the word meritocratic, one can visualize it as the construction of two parts: the word merit and the suffix “-ocracy”. The word merit can be defined as the deserving of reward for past actions and the suffix “-ocracy” is understood as a form of governing body. Therefore, meritocracy without context means a form of governing body which rewards deserving individuals based upon their past actions. From this definition, it is quite obvious why David Leonhardt used the word meritocracy to describe the college admissions system. According to Leonhardt, students are admitted into college

Many colleges and universities throughout the United States and several other countries face a common problem. Student retention is a growing problem across the nation for all ethnic groups and all ages. Each individual who chooses to drop out of school has their own personal reasons as to why they do. However, many drops out can be completely avoided. When students drop out they are not clearly thinking about how it’s going to affect their future, the future of their children and even grandchildren. Although there are several reasons as to why students drop out of school, we will be exploring a few as it relates to why student retention is a growing problem.

After reading Sonja Ardoin’s (2014) “the strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career” book, I read a variety of important content that has allowed me to reflect not only in my fieldwork position, as an Advising Assistant for the Puente Program, but also my current status as a graduate student in the Educational Counseling program.

According to Kaplan (2013), students’ motivation levels are easily influenced through extrinsic forces in schools. Such forces can be attributed to simple events such as prom and graduate night. It is imperative to think of various solutions to this motivational issue because students who are planning on attending a four-year postsecondary institution might be at risk on losing their admission. Furthermore, losing their admission at this stage can signify no other option than attending a community college. It is important to note that though there are plenty of benefits in attending a community college this paper will focus only on students who plan on attending a four-year postsecondary

The objective of this policy is to provide key assistance to historically underserved students by providing extra guidance in careers exploration, class scheduling, and finding extracurricular activities on campus. Intrusive advisement for students will allow students to have a primary contact person on staff who can help the student navigate through university offices and procedures to help ensure a positive college

Every year, there are thousands of college students that are pushed to attend college, in the sole hope that they will be able to make a respectable living. More than half of these students will not end up completing their 4-year degree. Many students are starting to take a hard look at why they are going to pursue a college degree, to determine if a degree is really their best option. College education is changing for the better, with technical and vocational skills giving less academically inclined students an option. Another reason why students should consider other options is the cost; university boards have been some of the most corrupt and wasteful spenders in the last decade and this will only change with less demand. Finally, the strenuous process of admissions has been continuously overlooked and underestimated by thousands of future students. A traditional 4-year education, that caters to the industry of university, is no longer required to be successful in the job market, and traditional admissions can become an anachronism.

In bringing together our interviews, along with current research on academic advising in post-secondary institutions, we will consider student dynamics, needs, advisement issues, and potential ways to effectively advise high-ability students.

For the graduating high school senior each year there can be tough choices made about when and where to start college. Some have to decide if continuing their education even makes financial sense. There are many obstacles that a graduating senior must consider when making these decisions. Probably, the most difficult decision is where the funding for the continuing education will be coming from. For some, it does not make financial sense to even continue on with their education. Others face even more uncertain decisions about when to apply to a college and which college to attend. Once the decision to attend has been made, there are varying degrees of completion among the students who decide to attend. Student success depends on their support structure which can consist of family and friends to other outside resources. One can see that this time period, in a high school senior’s life, can be a perplexing and anxiety producing time.

It is a well known fact but there are many people including counselors, parents, teachers, and friends who resist saying it out loud for fear it will sound like discouragement and negativity: college is definitely not for everyone. The pressure on high schools students, especially those that excel, to attend a college or university is enormous. And in the case of a bright, industrious and motivated high school student, attending a college or university is an obvious career choice. For those students, it's only a matter of what university to attend, whether one's SAT score is high enough, and the availability of the money. Then there are the millions of high school students who are not really personally motivated but are being pressured by their counselors, teachers and parents should they attend college if they really don't care? This paper examines those issues.

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

While there are many problems college students’ face while attempting to obtain a degree, the largest hindrance from completion is that of financial ability. One of the largest contributors to college dropout rates is the lack of financial support. Many college students must work either full or part time to support themselves or their families. With the declining economy and increasing costs of college tuition, funds are being scarcely distributed and many college students find that they are unable to continue their education due of this.

Life is believed to be easier for people with higher degrees than for those without higher degrees. Hence, it is the joy of parents to see their children admitted into a higher institution. With the high cost attached to attending a four year university, most students prefer to attend community colleges. Community colleges provide the same quality of education offered by universities for the first two years at a lower cost which help students reduce debts toward getting their higher degree. However, compared to the number of students who started their first year in community colleges, a large percentage dropped out. This is common to both freshly graduated high school students and adults who came back to college to obtain a degree. Students drop out of colleges because of financial issues and the need to take remedial courses. As a result, they have self esteem issues and may remain poor.

Thesis Statement: More and more students drop out each year. Those who dropped out have various reasons. The alarming rates of drop outs have led them to a bleak future wherein such incident requires the attention and immediate action of various school authorities.

College graduation and dropout rates have long been used as a central indicator of education system productivity and effectiveness and of social and economic well-being. Today, interest in the accuracy and usefulness of these statistics is particularly acute owing to a confluence of circumstances, including changing demographics, new legislative mandates, and heightened political pressures to reduce the incidence of dropping out. Students who are unable to pass the assessments may simply leave school before graduating. Not everyone drops out because they lack the determination to finish, instead they run into another obstacle while equipped with the motivation. Those of which are trying to regulate the balance of work and school, unexpected family problems, and financial problems.