College is a journey – an enlightening journey – but it can also be one of the hardest journeys. It takes money, time, preparation and a lot of other factors to get through your collegiate career without burning out or without running out of money. Indeed, there are a lot of reasons why students drop out. Knowing what some of the reasons are will help you avoid some common pitfalls. If you leave college too abruptly, you could risk losing credits or knocking yourself off course. If you are considering leaving college, you may want to explore some of your reasons. Moreover, you may want to speak with a college counselor to work through some of your difficulties, because there may be a way out. Here are five reasons why students drop out of college.
- Not Enough Money
Many students leave college because they don’t have the funds to cover tuition. This usually happens when financial aid dries up or is lost. If you are having trouble, there are a lot of remedies. You could sign up for online courses. Colleges, like Pepperdine University, have great online programs. You could also petition to get your tuition back.
- Life Takes You on a Different Journey
In some cases, you may want to go on a different path. Maybe you found a job that will lead you to the career you want. There is also the chance that a personal family crisis arises that you have to tend to. Maybe an older parent gets sick or you have to look after a younger relative. You may also decide that college isn’t right for you and it’s as simple as that.
- Lack of Preparation
A lot of students leave because they weren’t prepared for the responsibilities of college. Some students are just late bloomers. If that is the case, you may want to drop out and head to a local community college and build your credits while you figure out what the next steps are. If you are just heading into a four-year university, you want to prepare yourself thoroughly, because it could be a surprise when you finally get to campus. The best way to prepare is to make sure all your requirements are met and that you know exactly what to expect.
- Poor Academic Performance
On top of not being prepared, some students will drop out because of poor academic performance. If you are not doing well in your classes, you may think that the best option is to resign. However, you may want to speak with a college counselor, because your collegiate career may be salvageable.
- Too Much Work
On top of everything, you may find that there is too much work in college. This ties in with not being prepared, but some students are really taken aback by how much studying they have to do. Not only is there a lot of studying – there is also a lot of paper writing. In the end, you want to be ready for the work load before you get to college.