I do not mean to be so negative around the holiday season but this article is directed at young people that may be beginning college programs in the January semester. Before you begin your program I just hope you take a look at the following list of common reasons that young people fail College and try to prevent yourself from making these mistakes.
1. Having to work. Many students are in a difficult position where they must work while in school. This is highly respectable but could lead to you having less time to focus on your studies, and possibly failing in the end.
2. Too much partying. There is nothing wrong with having a few beers after an exam but having a few beers on a Monday morning could be a serious problem.
3. Not prepared. Many teenagers are simply not ready for the rigorous schedule that comes along with some higher level programs.
4. Family problems. Family support is very beneficial while in school, but on the other hand issues at home often lead to stress and loss of focus.
5. Too demanding. Some programs require many hours on lectures and studying for exams. If you are not willing to commit to the time requirements then you will not be able to keep up with your fellow students.
6. Wrong course. Sometimes when you find yourself not interested with your studies then you are in the wrong program. There are many programs to choose from, so do not feel bad if one particular program is not working out for you.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I think failing out of college is actually a feat that is very difficult to do. I truly believe that you really have to TRY and put forth effort to fail out of college. People that fail out literally do nothing. They do not go to class, do hw, or miss exams. Most times people fail courses is b/c they miss exams and fail to make them up.
I received one of my undergrad degrees in music performance and had alot of classmates drop out of college. They knew they didn’t want to teach. They just wanted to perform in bands and they didn’t see how a college degree would propel them to succeed. So while I’ve witnessed classmates drop out for all of your reasons listed above, I would add one more:
Shouldn’t Have Enrolled In The First Place – College isn’t for everyone. You should make sure you know why your attending and how doing so will help you reach your goals…before paying your first semester’s tuition.
@doctor s It all depends on the program because in some programs there is room for a little slack while other there is none. Some programs are so demanding (Life Sciences, Accounting ,etc.) that if you miss a few lectures or do not study enough for an exam then you could end up below the minimum gpa. Granted there are some programs where attendance alone will lead to a passing grade, but some people are not even willing to attend class. Oh well that just means better seats for the rest of us that attend class.
@ Broke MBA That is so true, not everyone is meant to have a College Degree/Diploma. Some people are better suited in a trade or perhaps venturing off into something else. It is crucial to attend College for a program that you truly feel you will excel at and not becomes your parents tell you to.
Yeah, I’ve been there and done that. I dropped out probably for a couple of those reasons too. My main reason was a lack of focus. I’m a very good student (I dropped out with a 3.8 GPA, on academic scholarship might I add), but I lacked any focus on where I was going with my life, and how I would utilize a college degree. This led to my life being pulled in any and every direction away from school. Now I’m a returning student, with all of those lessons under my belt. My degree, when I finally do get it, will be worth so much more to me.
Having to work, IMO, is one of the BIGGEST reasons many fail in college! I am a living example of that… not that I’m failing in college or anything, but it sure makes it tough. I was recently married and am now working full time while going to college almost full-time; it makes it REALLY, REALLY hard!
Try to adjust your schedule to where if you are taking a full 12 credits that you’re only working 20 hours a week.
You should be fine.
Honestly, it’s not even that though… the biggest reason is that our time isn’t spent wisely and we waste a lot of time rather than studying!
FACEBOOK is the real monster here!
Being a very recent grad from college, I understand why so many people don’t graduate (including myself whom took the longer five year program). I think that most people who didn’t graduate had no sense in what direction they wanted to head.
How about the most obvious? Teachers who are so inadequately paid that all they do is read the book to the class? Or ones who let their own political or religious convictions influence their curriculum? I dropped out of college because it was just flat boring. How about colleges that charge extremely to much for tuition? No I’m sorry the primary problem is that college is A boring B too expensive and C is no real indication of your ability to do anything but read and regurgitate information. Hopefully soon employers will start to realize this and end this silly dependency on college degrees in exchange for performance based evals.
One other thing you could add is credit cards and student loans – A lot of students these days are broke when they get out of college or before they even graduate.
Pay for college as you go.
Thanks everyone for the great comments and valuable input.
It’s not secret that Facebook is a major distraction for pretty much every single college student. If all the hours spent on facebook were used for studying then everyone would have an A average.
Credit cards are another killer for students. It is easy to resort to plastic when you have no actual cash to spend on your desired purchases.
Having to hold a steady full time job doesn’t help matters either. Any time taken away from your studies dilutes your focus on what truly matters.
I appreciate all of the additions/comments and hope to have more!
I would have to put a contradiction on the work issue, not that it is wrong just there is more. I know that when I had a job while in college some of my time was better defined and I knew that I had to schedule everything and the responsibility level was increased. This meant that I would go to class better because you can not skip work like you can classes and therefore you were already up and ready to go on a Monday or other people would ask why you are there etc. Just some other perspective.
I just think one problem is that students are forced to take required classes like algebra and biology. Some of the required classes have nothing to do with what they are going to school for. These classes are boring and extremely hard. W,hos to say someone who couldnt pass algebra and dropped out because of it, wouldnt have made the best lawyer ever. But that student couldnt graduate because of a required class that had no value to what they wanted to become.
I understand that a college degree means you have the ability to learn but should one required class be the final judgement on that?
Bryan I agree with you 100%! I was just thinking about this the other day. Pretty much everyone I spoke to about this said their program has those few courses that are so difficuly, yet completely unrelated.
I have heard all of the counter-arguments to this and I don’t buy them. I understanding diversifying your skills but your GPA should not br affected.
I disagree with this. The good students, in any major, look at the more difficult courses, which are incidentally almost always mathematics or natural science courses, as a challenge and an opportunity to learn.
If someone looks at this opportunity as boring or difficult; it makes them lesser qualified as a student.
In the end, life is about problem solving, and not about GPA. Would I want to hire a doctor or a lawyer who flunked calculus because it was ‘boring’ and ‘difficult’ over someone who relished the challenge and the opportunity to learn about the world? Probably not. That is reality. I want a doctor or a lawyer who can solve problems. And in my experience, one of the best ways to test problem solving abilities, in a general sense, is in those types of courses.
It’s not a test of whether or not you ‘like’ algebra or biology, but a test of whether or not you can meet the challenge of learning a mentally rigorous topic.
You must learn!
I agree with the people right above me…I think college is somewhat of a sham in some ways. I don’t get why someone that wants to major in English needs to take a biology class, that makes no sense at all.