What sometimes happens when we don’t plan!

Our perception as parents is that once we wave goodbye to our children as they leave for college, they are on the road to success. But what really happens to many of these young people?

Test your knowledge. Do you know what the percentages are below?

1. ___% of those who start a college degree do not finish within the 4-year time frame

2. ___% of those who start a college degree do not finish at all

3. ___% of all college freshmen drop out during their freshman year

4. At least ____% of those who do graduate from college end up underemployed, i.e. not working in a career related to their education

5. At least ____% of entering college freshmen take remedial classes -- education that was free to them in high school

Click here for answers

Pretty grim, huh? We’ve tried to imagine how those 30% of young people feel when they end up back at home after an unsuccessful freshman year. Of course, they may have dropped out for any number of reasons: academics, lack of motivation, lack of a focused career goal, financial, social, or personal reasons, and the list goes on. Regardless of the reason for their leaving college, much time and money were wasted. And many probably experienced a loss of confidence and self-esteem that they may not feel again for years.

We as parents need to do everything we can to ensure that we are sending our children to college armed with the tools they need to be successful. They need to have a focused reason for going to college…not because their friends are going or because they have nothing else to do. Actually, many teenagers today attend college just for those reasons. Their vision for college has nothing to do with preparation for work. You, as a parent, can help your child understand that the goal in attending college is preparing for success in life and work, not success as a social being. And while good planning may not guarantee that our children won’t drop out of college, it can certainly help them be more focused on why they are attending and equip them with better information for making wise decisions.

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