Avoiding the College Dropout Syndrome

College students in the’60′s may have been enduring a socially turbulent time, but at least only one in five of them dropped out. Thirty years later the dropout rate increased to one in three and today it’s estimated that a whopping fifty percent of college students never stick around long enough to graduate. What gives? Mostly, it’s the financial pressure to stay afloat while paying tuition that causes the dropouts, but there every drop out has a reason.

1. Don’t be a fish out of water. Swim! Even if you find yourself horribly homesick at first, get out there and meet new people. Some of them are likely just as homesick as you are, in fact. It’s often difficult for new freshmen to feel as if they fit in. One way to avoid it is to surround yourself with people and see where you feel a natural fit. On the other hand, if you find that you’re socializing too much and not getting involved with your studies, that could lead to dropping out as well. Everything in moderation, remember.

2. Keep on top of your studies. Earning grade grades in high school is entirely different from doing well in college. As you might have suspected, the work load is intense at the college level so don’t let yourself fall behind. If, after a while, you find that there’s another major that interests you more than the one you originally declared, you might need to transfer to another school. Transferring doesn’t have to equal dropping out, so make the change and stay the course in the process.

3. Who is there to turn to? You never really had to wonder about that while in high school because there was a guidance counselor assigned to you, likely right under the same roof as all of your classes. College can be a different matter. If you find yourself overwhelmed, either socially or academically, it’s important to know who to go to before you get too stressed out.

4. A student or an employee? It’s likely that you’ll have to be both at one time or another during your college career. Can you handle both? The dual role is exactly the reason that some students end up dropping out. You can increase your odds of success by cutting back on costs as much as possible and making sure that your nest egg can handle some time to focus on your studies. If you play your cards right, working during the summer and school breaks might just be enough to tide you over until you can earn your degree.

Your future is as vast as your ability to dream. And, as you’ve just read, your ability to prepare for rough patches will probably factor in from time to time as well. Dropping out isn’t always the answer when things get tough, so try to cope as best you can and stay on the course that you have set for yourself.

Mike Mower dropped out of college twice before winning an academic scholarship and earning an online degree.