Whether you’re a freshman just starting college or a returning student adjusting to a new schedule, we all have experienced the stress and burnout associated with the overall college experience. Some are moving away from home for the very first time, others may be concerned with balancing commitments, and others may just want the more social, lax college experience. However, another common occurrence in many educational institutions is student dropouts. In the United States alone, the high school student dropout rate was 5.2%, according to data collected over ten years by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2022. Meanwhile, the college dropout rate has been at a high 40% dropout in recent years, with only 14.7% of students graduating with their bachelor’s degrees within six years of study.
So, why does college specifically suffer the most from dropouts compared to their primary and secondary counterparts? While there are many, the general conclusions reached by statisticians boil down to a few big reasons as to what might contribute to some students’ decisions to drop out of college.
1. High Pay for Financial Aid, Tuition, Student Aid & Other Payments
In the last few years, data has illustrated that the cost of college tuition has spiked over the past few years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, recent news has reported that tuition and housing prices have continued to rise in many colleges despite the recent drop in the inflation rate.
This is especially an issue for many first-generation and low-income students looking to get a college degree for financial reasons. Many of these students have limited knowledge of financial aid resources and may apply on their own. The costs of these payments can average thousands of dollars, and they accumulate into loads of student debt.
2.Academic Burnout
Researchers and psychologists have used the term “college burnout” to refer to a state of exhaustion when students feel disconnected from their college experience.
Like burnout, college burnout often leaves students feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Studies show that this is due to a lack of engagement or motivation from the stress and anxiety of balancing academics, extracurriculars, and other activities like socializing or working a part-time job. As a result, it’s easy for students to experience a snowball effect; a lack of motivation can waste a lot of needed time and energy to perform well in college.
3.Unmet Expectations
We all expect college to be filled with freedom. You may want to relax and have experiences you never had in prior education. Or maybe you just want the bachelor’s degree despite the bitter work. We have an idea of what college is like, but it’s also easy to be disappointed.
Coping with expectations in college is a lot like finding out the difference between reality and fantasy. It challenges your ability to handle change and pressure. Maybe you didn’t get into the sports team you wanted, got the dream job after working so hard for it, or got an F on your English test. Because of the pressure of keeping up with performance expectations from professors, many unprepared students might admit defeat at some point. I like to refer to this as “the breaking point of college.”
What to Expect
As a returning student, I can say that college is one of the most interesting and critical experiences of a lifetime. Not everyone has the same perspective as a four-year college student. Some may go to community college, trade school, or university, while others may take a year off from education.
In college, time management is the key to success. As I mentioned in my section regarding academic burnout, it really does take management and organization to balance out. Students have a 24-hour running schedule of work, play, basic needs, and academics. Taking care of that precious time saves a lot of energy to be able to perform efficiently.
Furthermore, making communication a practice is another way to enhance your college experience. No one can do the college life alone, especially without help from trusted friends or resources. Talk to a roommate, friend, mentor, or a credited campus resource.
College may seem like the best thing in the world or the most exhausting experience, but knowing what to expect definitely saves time when noticing issues like college burnout and dropping out. Again, this is only my experience, so feel free to chat with us about your college or post-secondary experience @HerCampusSJSU.