College Dropout Rates

For decades, getting more students into college has been the top priority for

America’s higher education system; but it is estimated that 40% of college

students will leave higher education without getting a degree and 75% percent

of these students will leave within their first two years of college. (Gayla. 1)

The dropout rate for college students is overwhelmingly high, and there are

three major reasons behind it.

Many college students run into financial problems, the estimated cost for

tuition for a 4 year school is $35,000; (College Costs - Average College.1 )

and this doesn’t take into account of books, school supplies and other fees. The

typical American family doesn’t have $35,000 laying around to spend,
so most

rely on student loans; the high interest rates on these loans are very difficult to

pay back and may take years to do so. While some students pay their own way,

they run into the difficulties of juggling work and school in order to do so.
Some students find that college is much different than they would have

expected; (Whitbourne.1)

work is much harder, more studying, more writing and greater

expectations. The first thing new college students experience is the workload is

much more demanding than in high school; students are expected to read the

material and comprehend it on their study time and take notes while in lectures.

Students also find that their time isn’t structured by others; but they are left with

the responsibility to manage their own time. Most of all the teachers are much

more different than in high school; while the college professors are helpful they

expect you to come to them and ask questions and seek tutoring unlike high

school teachers.

Some students have a hard time with the social aspect of college life.

Some students fit in too much and get side tracked with parties and other social

events. Twenty Five percent of students say they have faced academic consequences

(missing class, getting a bad grade, etc.) As a result of drinking and on average,

students who have more than 5 drinks per occasion have a GPA that is half
a

grade lower than the GPA for other students.("College and Drinking." 1) But

on the other hand of the spectrum, some students are overwhelmed by

loneliness and can’t function. Instead of walking up to new classmates and

introducing themselves, some students choose to go to the library alone or

retreat back to their home where a familiar routine and good friend is waiting for

them.

Many colleges offer programs to overcome many of these main problems,

for example here even at CCBC Essex we have the ACDV 101; Academic

Development: Transitioning to College.
("CCBC - Acdv." The

Community…”) new students take advantage of this and other programs catering

to their needs as new students since the program is required to graduate.

Sources Cited

"CCBC - Acdv." The Community College of Baltimore County. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

"College Costs - Average College Tuition Cost." College Admissions - SAT - University & College Search Tool. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2010.

"College and Drinking." Degrees, Schools, Online Courses and Careers - Education-Portal.com. Aug. 2007. Web. 06 Dec. 2010.

Martindale, Gayla. "College Drop Out Rates - Who's to Blame? - StateUniversity.com Blog." Online University Degree Search - U.S. University Directory - State Universities and College Rankings. 27 Jan. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2010.

"U.S. College Drop-out Rate Sparks Concern." Higher Education News and Jobs. Associated Press, Sept. 2006. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Whitbourne, Jonathan. "The Dropout Dilemma: One in Four College Freshmen Drop Out. What Is Going on Here? What Does It Take to Stay In? - Page 1 | Careers and Colleges." Weblog post. Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. Mar. 2002. Web. 29 Nov.
2010.