Jaswal 1

Ramiya Jaswal

Professor Hellmers

English 1201 Spring Online

29 April, 2017

College Dropouts

There are various social, personal, and political reasons why freshman college students

dropout their first year but some then later decide to try again. In the past 20 years, more than

31 million students have enrolled in college, only to leave without a degree or certificate,

according to a report by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), (Williams,Terri). Some

first-year college students drop out and dont go back their whole lives but some drop out and go

back again and succeed their second time. Sometimes its just a timing thing, but for others the

reasoning behind dropping out of college is deeper than just wrong timing. The problem of

freshmans or first year college students dropping out may be endless but our societies,

colleges/universities, and students themselves can do a lot to try and reduce the rate of dropouts

and better understand why they choose to just give up.

Statistics state that thirty percent of freshman drop out after their first year of college.

There are many personal issues a college freshman may face that lead them to eventually drop

out. A big personal reason behind college freshman dropping out their first year is them not being

able to balance going to class, having a job, because they are not used to having to balance

everything by themselves at once. Many college freshman go away from home for school and

that is their first time being on their own so they dont know how to manage all the

responsibilities of life. Some also are misled with all the freedom of being able to dorm and live
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on their own to the point to where they take advantage of the freedom of having fun and forget

the main purpose of college which is attending your classes and getting an education.

Another personal issue which may cause a college freshman to dropout is family

background. Studies show that forty percent of college dropouts have parents with nothing

beyond a high school diploma, (Beckstead). Many students that start college or go onto college

are the first in their family to ever be able to do so. The pressure of this is sometimes too much

for a freshman student to handle. Also, not having much motivation from your parents because

they themselves dropped out of college can be very weight bearing on a freshman college student

wanting to dropout. However, some freshman students with poor family background in education

prove otherwise by going through with their college degrees and not dropping out.

Many freshmen in college graduate high school with almost little or no real-world skills.

They are not academically or even emotionally prepared for college how they think they might

be and many think they know what they want to major in but it ends up being something they

have no interest in. In that case, many dont have any back up plan or backup interest they want

to study so they dropout. Nearly 60 percent of first-year college students discover that despite

being accepted into college, they must take remedial classes in order to catch up, according to the

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, (Seven Reasons Freshman Drop out of

College). For some, this too overwhelming and time consuming.

As a high school graduate, many freshman going onto college dont always understand

why they want to go to a certain college or university. They look off their peers and piggy back

on ideas of why certain colleges or universities might be right for them. According to Mellisa

Cohen a licensed social worker not every freshman going into college chooses a school based on

what is best for them. As she said, For example, many students choose to go to a school because
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it has a good reputation or because a parent, other family member or friend went there and had a

great time students should not choose colleges based on someone elses experience, or on the

colleges ranking, sports team, or other factors that do not ensure academic or personal success.

(Williams,Terri). With that being said majority of these freshman end up having to drop out

because they have nothing thats keeping them interested and or focused to attend the college

they chose.

Health reasons are another personal issue which lead to some freshman college dropouts.

Many first-year students seem to get very stressed with the amount of work they receive in

classes and being able to get it done on time along with other personal issues such as family and

work. This causes them to go through depression, or just simply not take care of themselves and

their bodies which then causes them to get weak and sick. This affects attendance which for

many colleges and universities is mandatory for almost every class. Having poor attendance for

some means that they are missing assignments and falling behind on work so their grades drop.

After this many of the students are not mentally or physically prepared to take on their classes

and work so they give up and dropout their first year, but as stated above some may come back

and give it another try and some may not.

Various financial reasons also play a role in why some freshman in college dropout. In

2014-15, about two-thirds of full-time students paid for college with the help of financial aid in

the form of grants and scholarships. Approximately 57 percent of financial aid dollars awarded

to undergraduates was in the form of grants, and 34 percent took the form of federal loans,

(Financial Aid: FAQs). Based on this statement, many freshmen enroll into colleges/universities

as full time students and receive different kinds of financial aid because they are full time, but

many dont go through as full time students. With that being said, those who fail their classes, or
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stop attending classes, or drop certain classes sometimes dont know that it can affect their

financial aid award. Some get their grants taken away which makes them unable to pay for the

remainder of their classes and those who get loans sometimes dont realize that they still have to

pay them off regardless of the situation. This is one reason why financially some college

freshmen choose to dropout because they lose their financial aid cant pay for school out of

pocket. Another reason for freshmen dropouts is that they may not get enough financial aid to

cover the costs of classes, books and anything else that came along with it. Also, some students

dont know how to budget living on their own and run out of money they had say for perhaps a

semester or full year because they spend it all too early. Lastly, many first-year college dropouts

had no help from their parents to pay for tuition. Out of those who dont have any help some may

have jobs and some may not. But still those with jobs may still not be making enough to afford

college tuition.

Colleges/universities, students, and societies all themselves can do so much to prevent

college dropouts first year and above. The societies can practice a systemic approach which

means they continuously process and evaluate goals and objectives related to school policies,

practices, and organizational structures as they affect the students. They can also do a school-

community collaboration which is when everyone in a community provides attention and support

to the school. A supportive and united community keeps a strong supportive environment where

the students can feel safe and comfortable attending their classes. Lastly, they can provide safe

learning environments that provide daily experiences that increase positive social attitudes and

good interpersonal skills in all students. The colleges/ universities themselves can offer

mentoring and tutoring programs, and a campus that is comfortable and safe for all the first year

and new students to feel welcomed in if they are facing any troubles and or difficulties adjusting.
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The professors at the schools can help by reconsidering how they schedule classes and what rules

they enforce in classes keeping in mind that many students have work and other out of class

responsibilities. The students themselves can better prepare for college and take it more seriously

before it starts rather than waiting last minute and treating it as something that isnt an important

decision. These ways can all help prevent college dropouts.

Freshman in college or first year students that choose to drop out may have their many

various reasons in dropping out, however those who decide to come back and graduate from a

four-year college or university or those who dont dropout generally have a greater chance in

getting better jobs. Statistics of college dropouts show that, Fifty percent of college dropouts

have incomes lower than $35,000, (Backstead,Rachel). Also, according to research done by

Rachel Beckstead on statistics of college dropouts those who do not have a degree from a college

or university are twice as likely to be unemployed than those who have a degree. Generally

keeping in mind that for one to get a degree from a college they must stay in college, not drop

out, and if they do drop out they must go back at some point in time and continue their

education.

College freshman dropout rates will continue to vary as time goes on. But for now, it is

clear that there is a lot that can be done to prevent and or reduce the dropout rate. Students will

always have their various social, personal, and political reasons on why they choose to dropout

but as stated above that can be reduced if not completely stopped. Reasons such as having a hard

time balancing a lot at once, poor family background when it comes to education, lack of

preparation for college, health issues, and financial problems will forever play a role in the

decision of a first-year college student. Some freshman who drop-out will never return to a

college or university but some will try again and succeed in getting their degree.
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Gibbs, J. My Mediocre Mind #4. Digital image. Deviant Art. 2012-2017 RampagingRoboToast, n.d.
Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
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Work Cited

Bair, Sheila. "The Real Reasons College Students Drop Out." Fortune.com. Fortune, 08 Mar. 2016.

Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Beckstead, Rachel. "Statistics of College Dropouts." CollegeAtlas.org. N.p., 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 29

Apr. 2017.

"Effective Strategies." National Dropout Prevention Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

"Financial Aid: FAQs." Pay for College - Financial Aid: FAQs. The College Board, n.d. Web. 29 Apr.

2017

"Seven Reasons Freshmen Drop Out Of College." Tuition Insurance - Allianz Global Assistance.

Allianz Global Assistance, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

Williams, Terri. "Freshmen Students Are The Most Likely to Drop Out of College | GoodCall

News." Good Call. N.p., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.