Lara Copeland
ENC 1102
To many people, attending a college or university is an important stage in one’s life needed as a foundation in order to become successful. Nowadays, there are many career options that require a college degree, but there are also people who never graduate and still attain many accomplishments. There are different reasons for students dropping out of college and, as a result, many schools are trying to keep their students from doing so.
Every year many students throughout the United States withdraw from colleges or universities. “Among 18 countries tracked by the OECD, the United States finished last (46 percent) for the percentage of students who completed college once they started it” (Carlozo). It is not clear which countries the United States was being compared to in this study; therefore, it is not known what the education and workforce in those countries consist of. In the middle of the sentence, an exact number is included to show that more than half of students who begin a college education eventually drop out.
Although some agree that dropping out of college is acceptable, others believe it is a bad decision to do so. According to another article, “Florida Not Producing Enough College Graduates To Meet Job Market Demand,” there are not enough people graduating with degrees in the state of Florida to fill many jobs in the future. It is predicted that many jobs will require employees to have, at the very least, a college degree. To believe this article, one must assume that jobs that do not require a degree will not be demanding many workers. It is not mentioned whether these jobs will be in need of more employees than jobs requiring a degree. By describing jobs that require a degree as “high-paying”, O’Connor is making a connection between a high salary and a college education. The purpose of it is to persuade readers that they must graduate college in order to become successful. I do not agree with this because so many people have reached great achievements without obtaining a degree first. In my opinion, attending school after high school can be more of a burden than a benefit to some people. There are different reasons for students dropping out of college. While some will be better off doing so, others may benefit by continuing their studies.
So many people want to increase graduation rates but before they attempt to do so they must understand the causes of low college completion rates. For various reasons, but especially because of financial difficulties, students drop out before completing a degree. To illustrate, the article “Why college students stop short of a degree” emphasizes the financial struggles students have. Very briefly, towards the center of the piece, it is added that people also leave college because of their family or jobs. They may also drop out because they are not prepared for the challenges faced in college (Carlozo). Since the author continues to speak of financial hardships, it seems as if these reasons for not completing a degree are uncommon. However, there are many reasons other than finance for students not graduating.
There are students who end their college education early to pursue a dream of theirs. I know and have heard of many athletes who never complete a degree. They choose to drop out of school to play professionally. While some return to college if they retire or suffer an injury, others become successful athletes. The article “Why college students stop short of a degree” tells of a student who withdrew from college to work as a journalist. She is now paying off her debt from studying and has not had a job requiring a degree. There are also people who choose to join the military rather than graduate college. Others may find college too difficult or too time-consuming.
It is always important to understand education from a student’s point of view. After speaking with two classmates I was able to understand two different college experiences. One student I spoke to, Huang, is an international student who came to study in the United States two years ago from China. He attends the University of Miami, an expensive private school rated top 50 in the United States and also takes a class at Miami Dade College. It was difficult for Huang to learn and study in a second language and he believes that the cultural difference is a problem for many international students. He has learned things in the United States that would not fit in with China’s society. Huang has had some difficulties passing classes such as physics which use many professional terms in English that make it difficult for him to understand. He does not know of any resources in his school that would help foreign students with classes that they are having a hard time in. It is important that colleges have tutoring to assist students who can use the help. Many schools have free tutoring centers but do not advertise enough. Huang says that teachers, advisors, and mostly his parents encourage him to finish his studies. Once he graduates, he plans to move back to China where he hopes to become a successful worker.
Perez, the other student interviewed, attends Florida State University and is also taking a class at Miami Dade College. He believes that Advanced Placement classes in high school prepared him for college because of the amount of pressure and work he had to put into them. Apart from these classes he does not believe that high school prepared him too much because it was so easy. He felt that he was given much busy work and easy exams which allowed him to pass the class without completing the homework assigned. Being apart from his family was a great hardship he faced. Perez had gone through times where he wanted to move back home so that he would not have to go through troubles alone. There were many days that he was so busy studying for exams that he did not have time to cook a meal. He says that he has always been a good student and it was expected in his family that he goes off to college and gets a degree. He had an unintentional pressure from his friends to go to a university since they all left home to receive an education. He says he would have felt left out if he did not do the same.
Both of the students face a hardship. While an international student has a difficult time with the language barrier, an in-state student has troubles with the amount of studying he has faced in college. Colleges in the United States that take in many international students should make it their mission to help them with the English language. It is important that high schools prepare their students for the work they will be facing in college. These two have outside encouragement to stay in school which is very helpful. However, most students in college do not have enough encouragement from teachers and advisors. After a discussion with my English class, I noticed that students in small, private schools or in special programs receive a great amount of attention from mentors at school. This one-on-one time between advisors and students should be increased for students who do not have it available to them. It would be of great assistance by guiding and helping students plan what they will do the rest of their college years. This would help prevent students from withdrawing from college.
Since many students drop out before completing a degree, some colleges are attempting to increase the number of students who graduate. In an email to Miami Dade College faculty members, the president of the school writes enthusiastically of a plan that helps to overcome challenges (Padron). The problem with this e-mail is that it does not explain the plan. Padron uses the phrase “make a difference” in the subject and repeats it twice throughout the e-mail. The emphasis of this inspiring phrase encourages readers to take his side. Another approach he uses to persuade the reader is by giving two options. The first option implies failure while the second suggests success and, of course, one would choose a choice that leads to success. It is important that leaders of schools prepare plans with a clear purpose and well-defined instructions.
This task of escalating college graduation rates is very complicated. An article explains that in order to increase graduation rates, it is important to understand the reasons for such high dropout rates. So, when attempting to increase the number of students who graduate we must do so through correct methods. The article states that by improving college preparation in high school and the attention of students in need in colleges, graduation rates will increase for the better (Jamie). It is important that schools support students based on their needs. They must listen to students and improve problems that are common among them.
In my English Composition 2 class at Miami Dade College with Professor Gonzalez I have learned that colleges need a sense of community. Most classes consist of students coming into a classroom, being taught a lesson, and then leaving school to continue with their life. I attend the University of Central Florida most of the year. At this university, most classes consist of 100-450 students. There are no relationships being built among students in most classrooms. Professor Gonzalez gave our class assignments during class time and a project outside of class involving interaction with group members. He helped build relationships between the students. More professors should give assignments allowing student interaction. It allows students to help each other successfully complete the class. I believe this would higher graduation rates because students would have supporting classmates with similar goals encouraging them to finish college if that is what they wish to do.
For one reason or another, many students decide to end their college education before completing a degree. Most people who work at a college believe that education and a degree are necessary for every person to obtain a well-paid job. Consequently, faculty and staff from some schools try to find ways to keep students from dropping out. In order to do so, they need to find problems students have in college. After discovering the obstacles that students face, they must figure out solutions to them and put them into action. On the other hand, leaving college before graduating can be an advantage to those who can make a living without obtaining a degree.
Works Cited
Huang, Zhengxuan. “Challenges Facing College Students.” Personal Interview. 2 June 2012.
Jamie P. Merisotis, et al. "Do College-Completion Rates Really Measure Quality?." Chronicle Of Higher Education 58.27 (2012): A16-A19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 June 2012.
O'Connor, John. "Florida Not Producing Enough College Graduates To Meet Job Market Demand." StateImpact. Local Public Media and NPR, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2012/03/28/florida-not- producing- enough-college-graduates-to-meet-job-market-demand/>.
Padron, Eduardo. "To Make a Difference." 7 May 2012. E-mail.
Perez, Charles. “Challenges Facing College Students.” Personal Interview. 24 May 2012.
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