Education is an important aspect in the determination of the extent to which one will
progress both socially as well as economically. Who would not desire to get the best education
and acquire a high-paying job in the future? Nevertheless, prior to reaping the fruits of education,
one may have to go through many challenges in the acquisition of that education. Such
challenges make a substantial number of students drop out of college. According to Lawrence &
Laura, “the rate of college drop-out has been increasing for the past five years†(90). Whereas it
can be assumed that some students lack the enthusiasm in studies, this does not simply imply that
it is in their nature to do so. The occurrence of college dropout is not attributable to the students
only, but as well to other environmental as well as social factors.
Firstly, poor academic performance is a major reason for high college dropout. The
capacity for a student to learn is a key element in an efficient as well as effective learning.
Therefore, poor performance in academics is a major reason that is making many students quit
college. However, Austin (26) asserts that most cases of poor academic performance can be
attributed to lack of paying attention to studies by the students. This leads to students not getting
the concepts that are being taught in the classroom. As a result, many students get disappointed
and frustrated of the failure in school, thus opting to drop out.
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Secondly, lack of school fees is another major contributor to the high rate of college
dropout. Theoretically, US students in public schools from grade 1 to 12 do not have to pay for
education. Nonetheless, they have to cater for the higher education expenses. The problem comes
when students, or their parents/guardians lack adequate money to pay for the higher education.
The situation escalates further due to the increment of college fees by the government. This
makes many students to drop out of college. In order to cater for their education’s fees, some
students are forced to search for part-time jobs. Therefore, they lack adequate time to catch up
with the time required to study. The pressure to maintain a balance between studies and working
makes many students drop out of college (Allen 13).
In addition, problems that emanate with the course that a student is taking may make
him/her to consider quitting college. At the time when students are being admitted to
college/university, most of them lack a comprehensive understanding of the courses they have
selected, probably due to lack of proper guiding from parents of the school. As a result, while
studying, a student may realize that the major that he selected is not appropriate for him/her, or
he/she may lack sufficient passion to continuing pursuing the major. This may make one to
choose to drop out of college as the best course of action.
In conclusion, poor performance in academics, lack of school fees, as well as concerns
arising with the courses in college are some of the major reasons as to why many students drop
out of college. The results of these factors are alarming as it places serious consequences on the
society in the future. It is, therefore, imperative that the government, along with other
stakeholders in education to search for a realistic solution in addressing these problems.
