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The Factors of College Drop Out

What are the factors that make students drop out of college prior to graduation? After being back in school for a little over a year, I have seen the number of students in my class drop drastically. Some of which really show a true potential in what their degree plan is but yet decide that school isnt going the help them achieve their goal. I am interested in finding out some of the primary reasons for this. I feel that if I find out what the major cause of it is, then maybe students could be aware of the factors before they start affecting their future. In this research I have been able to narrow down the top five reasons of why student fail to complete their degree plan. The first reason is stress due to financial troubles with paying for college. Second on the list is anxiety with not being able to spend time with loved ones due to commitment of completing assignments in a timely manner. Thirdly is Worrying about intellectual ability to complete coursework. Fourth is the experience of stress because classes interfere with your normal routine. And lastly is the fear that earning a degree is needed to prove competence to others. The first factor that I am going to go into detail is one of the biggest factors that many people who have ever went to further their education has to deal with, the financial stress of student loans to pay for college. This stressor is felt by over seventy percent of students who enroll into a four year bachelor degree program. The main concern with this issue is that it makes up an average of roughly seven thousand students per day dropping out, thats a total of 1.2 million students each year alone in the United States. Many students can be judged on if they will drop out of furthering their education by sixth grade by reviewing records of attendance,

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behavior, and course failure. Now students as early as high school can obtain an associates degree by the time they graduate high school since this issue has been made a national crisis level. The Obama Administration has committed 100 million dollars to the College Pathways program is what makes this possible for these high school students to start college early. These kinds of programs help students avoid a lot of financial pressure from student loans and lets them maintain focus on their studies. The second and third factors can work hand in hand with each other. They are the anxiety of not being able to spend sufficient time with friends and family and having the intellectual capacity to complete your coursework. I feel this one first hand myself because I didnt feel the need to further my education until I found out that my wife and I had a baby on the way. But the main point is that you have to look at the big picture and realize school will only take up so much of your time. When you may need support from your family they will always be there, and true friends will understand when you cant hang out with them on some weekends because you have studies to complete. When you choose to hang out with your friends and family when you have the obligation to complete your course studies then that can affect your intellectual capacity to complete your course work.