The cuses of students not finishing thier collge education - Essay Example

Introduction Many who graduate from high school eventually join college, however, sometime down the line, a large number of them are forced to make the difficult decision and drop out of college before they complete their higher education. According to the center for education statistics, out of every five students that join college, only three will graduate within the first six years of their metrication (Weissmann). Most of the dropouts leave college after their first year although a fraction of them drop out throughout the 4 or 6 year average duration of their college life college.

The high college drop out is motivated by a variety of factors, the most common of these are include; stress, financial problems, owing to the rising cost of tuition work and family issues and burn out just to mention a few. For one, many people simply cannot manage the burden that is college tuition fees, accommodation and other related expenses that one must incur to complete higher education. Over the course of the last quarter century, the cost of college tuition has increased by over 400%; average earnings on the other hand have only increased by approximately 150%.

From the statistics, it is unequivocal that the ability of the middle and lower class American majority to afford college education has been noticeably curtailed. Despite the evidence of the prohibitive cost of education, many join college assuming and hoping they will come up with a way to pay the tuition along the way (Weissmann). Unfortunately, out of this number many never figure it out since they did not have stable financial base or a workable long term plan. Retrospective evidence to support this claim can be found in the findings of a study carried out by the bill and Melinda gates foundation in which it was discovered that 31% of college drop outs between 22 and 30 years cite money as they main reason for quitting school.

While there are loan facilities that college students can take advantage off, many are put off by these since they end up leaving school straddled with education debt. Stress is another major reason many drop outs give for leaving school, even when they can afford tuition, many students find that they have a hard time dealing with the immense pressure and demands of college life. This problem is compounded by the fact that since not many parents can afford to pay the full amount for their college going children the students are forced to work while studying (Weissmann).

Trying to juggle the demands of college life with a work schedule, albeit part time is a recipe for stress and it results in the students spending sleepless nights and they are often unable to concentrate in. A public agenda study gave the number one reason why most college students drop out as stress and contrary to popular belief it is actually more influential in dropout rates than money. Nevertheless, the reasons are not always extrinsic, while a good number of students quit because they cannot afford it or the stress is too much, in some cases it comes down to matters of personal responsibility (Weissmann).

College life allows what is to many high school graduates an unprecedented degree of freedom; they can drink smoke or engage in any number of social activities or vices as it were. They are not forced to go to class and there is no follow up system consequently, some getting side tracked and their priorities change as they pursue fun at the expense of education. They end up failing or loosing interest in education and are ultimately unable to graduate in time with their cohorts, some of them never het to graduate at all and drop out altogether.

In addition any number of issues can arise that will disrupt ones college education such as family commitments or the student can become a parent forcing them to realign their life priorities. Students who get jobs while still in college also contribute to the drop out statistics since some will be forced to choose between a promotion or the possibility of a full time job and education. When such outside obligations are too big to ignore, sometime it makes sense or circumstances force one to abandon school.

Summary In the long run, these dropout rates are increasing the levels of educational wastage in the US since so much is invested in each college student and when they drop out, especially when they are not doing it for work reasons. Ultimately, students drop out of college for a variety of reasons and as evinced herein, even those who do not have financial problems may be forced by personal commitments, opportunities and in some cases irresponsibility to quit. Many dropouts do it with the intention of rejoin at some point in the future but due the increasing commitment and cost of living many never make it back.

Work Cited Weissmann, Jordan. Why Do So Many Americans Drop Out of College? The Atlantic. March, 29 2012. Web. 05/11/2013http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/why-do-so-many-americans-drop-out-of-college/255226/