Dropout statistics are staggering! 33% of college students drop out entirely. 55% of the students take more than 6 years to graduate. 60% complete at the starting institution and 12% transfer to another college.
Reasons for dropping out:
Money. 54% said they dropped out because they couldn't balance their part-time job and school.
Just not ready emotionally/homesick. The students I see get overwhelmed by all they have to do, they get anxious and they disengage. They don’t know how to manage their academic work, social life, and other activities.
Not ready academically. "A couple of months after school started, I discovered how poorly I was doing in classes and wanted to leave school. My parents convinced me to keep trying and finish the school year" said Martin at the beginning of the coaching.
Not a good fit. Many kids work hard to get into college — only to find out the school or the major they’ve chosen isn’t right for them. "I chose BEcon because it looked interesting on paper but I didn't realized how much stats/microeconomics/macroeconomics I had to study" said Trevor.
Peer pressure. "My best friend convinced me to study Bio with her, I didn't know what to do and I wanted to please my parents as well" explained Jane the first time we met.
Students don't get enough support on their college journey. "Counseling offices at most public high schools are understaffed and overworked" complained a client's mum!
What can you do to help your teen when he/she dropped out from college?
Try to understand the reasons why. It seems obvious but most of the students I work with have tried several time (same college, same major...) before realizing what was the main reason for their failure. If he is homesick, transferring him to another college far from home might not be the solution!
Dropping out from college is emotionally really tough! The first thing I do with my client is to work on self-esteem. Only when confidence is back, can we work on a future project.
Education is a journey! Some of the students stay on the road, others go away for a while and come back (usually stronger)! And the road doesn't need to be straight. The work I do with my clients is to help them figure out what's next for them!