Causes and Cures of College dropouts - Essay Example

They make umpteen numbers of visits to campuses, spend long hours preparing for standardized tests, and prepare well-knit admission essays that leave no chance for rejection. After all these efforts, it these students leave the colleges they have long been trying to reach, one can easily identify that the reason lies not in the attitude or interest of the students, but in some other factors that result in the loss of interest. In my opinion, there are various factors which are economic, cultural, and social in nature.

The economic factors Many scholars have acknowledged the fact that lack of funds or financial burden still remains as the first and foremost reason behind college dropout. The main reason behind this issue is the lack of long term vision in students. They prepare their funds well in advance, but only sufficient for the first semester or the first year. Such students soon face financial crisis and start looking for part-time jobs or grants. Most of them get frustrated soon and eventually decide to give up their studies.

However, though not ultimate, there are various solutions that students can try before reaching the decision to quit. First of all, they can try to get a job in the college, for example, a position in library or canteen. This will enable them to give adequate attention to their studies. In addition, by improving their communication with other students and professors, they can come to know about the financial resources other such students depend on. Along with this, they might be able to find out possibilities of grants and scholarships.

However, if someone believes that financial crisis is the only economic problem, it is too early to reach such a conclusion. There is certainly a category of students who believe that money making is, in no way, connected to education. According to the proponents of this class of thought, the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, was a Harvard dropout. The list is long; the cofounder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, and the inventor of frozen French Fry, John Simplot, to mention but few. In addition, it is pointed out that professional education has nothing to do with professions like journalism, software engineering, and stock trading.

So, it cannot be termed irrational if someone claims that ‘on-the-job’ experience at that age is much better than the highly expensive ‘university experience’. Social and psychological factors For many students, the transition from school to college is a difficult task. It involves forgetting the old friends and making new contacts, staying away from family and friends, and being totally responsible for ones own time, money, and performance. In fact, studies have shown that some students find the college life totally different from what they expected.

They may not get the kind of close attention they used to enjoy at school. In addition, as the study at college is totally different from that at school, there may be a decline in the scores they get. In addition, for those who move from a rural setting to a city, getting familiar with the lifestyle of city and college is a tough task. While some students take these challenges positively, some may not be able to cope up with the situation, and decide to stop. For those who are not used to staying away from family, homesickness and isolation are two important factors that make them take the wrong decision.

However, not all are so homesick that they cannot adjust coming to an urban setting.