35% of students who proceed to college after high school do not make it to graduation. This article aims to cut across the main reasons why college students drop out of school. These reasons can be individual forces or external catalysts.
Walking away from studies could be depressing to both parents and the student. Research paper statistics shows the rate of dropout in terms of gender does not vary. The percentage rate for men and women is almost equal.
This depicts that the reasons for men and women school dropout are the same or affects them equally. The reasons why college students drop out of schools include;
1. Lack of school fees
College tuition fee is quite high. Students who come from humble backgrounds have higher chances of quitting studies due lack of funds.
Scholarships and grants are not always available. As financial situations change from year to year students hopes drain away. Once the fee is not paid the student cannot sit for exams or attend classes.
2. Effects of drug abuse
College students are adults and are out of parents and guardians’ sight. The college staff do not give individual attention to students. This means freedom.
Students drown into drug abuse like alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and tobacco. Some of these drugs are expensive and students buy them to satisfy addiction at the expense of their school fees.
3. Sexual immorality
Student who drift into sexual activities lose their ambitions. They end up forgetting or ignoring the value of education in their lives.
The outcomes of sexual immorality that replicates to school dropout include sexually transmitted diseases that lead to stigmatization. A stigmatized student cannot study peacefully and opt out of school.
4. Pregnancies
College students are adults who are free to make their sexual life decisions. Poor decisions results to pregnancy. The victim has decision to make on keeping the pregnancy or terminating it.
A student who drop out due to pregnancy may resume later or drop out for good to take up parenting responsibilities. This marks the end of their college education.
The choice of keeping the pregnancy leads to school drop out to go nurture the pregnancy to maturity. On the other hand, termination could be a death sentence. The students may lose their life in the process or result to health effects that affect their college studies.
5. Depression
Life experiences are sometimes difficult to handle and live with. Such include loss of loved ones, rape, ailments, financial constraints, relationship break ups, and poor performance. Students undergoing depression are unable to handle college assignments and studies thus opt to drop out.
6. Wrong course choice
The first step to successful graduation in college is making right course choice. When a student chooses their passion and interest, they enjoy the studies. However, poor course choices render college studies difficult and boring.
“No passion no interest” in a course means no direction to the future. Taking up such a course seems like a waste of time and a student prefer to drop out.
7. Discipline issues
Though there is minimal individual attention in college, the management is standby to ensure discipline is observed. They will not hesitate to kick you out if your discipline is wanting.
Indiscipline students incite others to strike, burn down structures, and cheat in exams. They have short college life because they are finally expelled before they graduate.
8. Work and family commitments
Some college students have families and marital responsibilities. They therefore have to strive to balance between studies and family issues. The working students also face challenges trying to play between student life and work.
The issue of multitasking may put a lot of pressure on the individual. They may be forced to drop out of college to handle the other responsibilities at the expense of studies.
9. Inability to adapt
College life entails diversity and is more demanding. Students come from all over nations to study. Some students find it difficult to adapt the new environment away from home.
Some are not able to cope up with the new way of doing things and manage freedom. This makes life unbearable to them and decide to drop out of school.
10. Illnesses
This is a natural factor. College student may fall ill in the course of their studies and leave to seek further treatment. They may go home for home-based care by family members.
Terminal illnesses that require a lot care are difficult to handle with college studies. This emanates to school dropout.
verdict
College studies calls for self-driven, self-motivated, flexible, and bold person to make it to graduation. Most of the reasons why college students drop out of school are individual based.
External forces that leads to school dropout can be handled through fore planning. For example, by saving for a child’s college fee over the years to prevent school dropout due to fee issues.
