Top 11 Reasons Why Students Drop out of College

365 comments on "Top 11 Reasons Why Students Drop out of College"

• I think if I were to drop out of college, it would be because I am not sure I want to live the life that college would leave me.. it has been hard to decide, and right now I am in college, but not sure if that is what I want to do. I want to move to a foreign country like Peru, and help others who are in need… I love web design and all, but I don’t feel like it will amount to anything when my life nears it’s end.

  
  

• Too much s3x resuslted in early pregnancy

  
  

• Top reason in 1941: get drafted to go fight in europe

  
  

• Because I was making more money doing a different job (computer engineer) that I could have ever made as my major (art history) and changing my degree to comp sci wouldn’t have helped my career.

  
  

• Got MBA!!!! Marriage By Accident…. (Pregnant, Drunk,or whatever screws up their judgement…)

  
  

• I agree with 6, most of my friends stopped right after high school. But me, i went on to try this college life out. come to find out, i was focusing more on what my friends were doing and felt…left out.

  
  

• re #1: pretty much, web design and all other forms of corporate jobs are empty and meaningless. The companies will not be around in 100-200 years and your lifetime of working for them will have no impact on the future of mankind. All you can say you did was line some richman’s pockets and keep the well oiled machine of capitalism going for a little while longer. I’d rather be a nurse if I can’t be a doctor, than live a meaningless life, actually.

  
  

• Numbers 2 and 3 ring especially true for me.

  I’m tired of school, and high school didn’t prepare me, because it was so easy that I didn’t ever have to study. Now I’m screwed because I never developed good study habits.

  
  

• To Anonymous – If you’re passion is in web design and are pretty good at it, then college isn’t mandatory. You can easily move to Peru and start your web design firm while helping the locals by hiring them.

  The benefits of a college degree will be realized if you’re; planning on joining the corporate workforce or a start-up seeking VC funds.

  
  

• lack of creativity. I just hate to do same task as 100 other people, and all that work gets thrown away. I could spend that time/effort somewhere else.

  
  

• I sort of fit into number one, because I could never meet anyone in my class… It basically made school unbearable.

  
  

• 1. Disgustingly Hypocritical Administration
  2. Disgustingly Hypocritical “Teachers”
  3. “Teachers” know less than you do about their subject
  4. They’re RIAA/MPAA enforcers
  5. They’re Credit Card pushers
  6. You realized the average graduate is $60K in the hole
  7. People who own websites make more than the profs
  8. People who work in Vegas make more than the profs
  9. People who work in welding make more than the profs
  A. People who operate cranes make more than the profs
  B. Schools do things like give $50K to Edwards, who already has $200M and lives in the largest house in his state so he can talk about ‘poverty’ while spewing soundbites for his vice-presidential campaign

  
  

• College may be bullshit but passing it gives your dedication some credibility.

  
  

• couldn’t stand the stupidnes of doing a pointless course.
  I used to sit in class and think “why I am here why I am here” only to get a fucking degree toshow i am educated. fuck it

  
  

• I am in the exact opposite position. I went to college, and now I can’t quit. After graduating the first time, there were no jobs where I lived, so I moved. Now I live in a town that I hate and can’t afford to live in, much less pay back my loans, so I had to go back to school just to keep from having to pay my loans back. So now it looks like graduate school is on the horizon a lot sooner than I had anticipated.

  
  

• Financial. They forgot lack of funds. Read something a couple years ago mentioning that the average graduation rate for a 4 year degree was 7.6 years and the biggest factor was money.

  
  

• I left because I’m a technology guy and they wanted to teach me about 1960s technology. There’s enough obsolete information in my head from the 1990s. I don’t need professors filling it with more crap from 1960 that I’ll never use. College is a joke. It doesn’t prepare you for anything. Having a job is not at all like going to college and the information they teach you is useless unless you want to be a teacher. That’s why I quit.

  
  

• Agree with point #3. I’m a first gen. college student, so I really didn’t know what to expect. HS counselors should do much better in preparing the student for college life. Much of what is taught for your major is not necessarily necessary, either. Examples include people who have a job in something not related to their bachelors and are successful none-the-less. I must disagree with Mr. Leake however. I am of the mind that everyone influences everyone. You never know who you affect, just by walking around. The man sweeping the lobby of a major business may do something to impact someone who goes on to do great things. Or the man sweeping may be inspired by another and invent a breakout product and make umpteen millions… who knows. To all college students: Do not despair in whatever field you enter. Individuality is one of humanity’s greatest assets, at every level. Do what makes you happy. If you make money doing so, great. But it can’t be sole motivation. Pursue your interests.

  
  

• I’ve been thinking about dropping out more and more each semester of my program. Between the teachers getting worse and worse (I guess they give you the best teachers first so you stay as long as possible and toss you the crap when you’ve gone too far to drop out), the content of the course changing constantly (entire classes were replaced and descriptions of the course didn’t match up with what was actually taught), and the program in general not meeting the expectations you had.

  Although, many of your points to apply as well 🙂

  
  

• I dropped out of college my first semester to join the Marine Corps. I wanted to be a Marine all along, but I thought I wanted to go to school first. Turns out I was burned out on school so I went with what I felt was right.

  
  

• I knew two people who dropped out because they played too much “World of Warcraft”.

  
  

• Personally, I’ve outgrown the college experience. College has not taught me anything new. I have the intelligence, drive, and creativity to do without college.

  
  

• What about college being a business? Most professors don’t give a shit if you fail or succeed. They get their money and they are done with you. College is no longer a place to teach/learn, its a place to take peoples money. I work at an engineering firm, 99% of the new college grads who come in, don’t have the slightest clue as to whats going on, we have to teach them quite a bit still, and no we don’t take the D students, we take the A-B grads.

  
  

• I work at university, here the problem is the staff and instuctors. Here are the top 10 reasons students drop out here:

  10. Students are lied to and mis-led when recruited.
  9. The only requirments for any job on campus is that you are realted to another employee. Don’t worry if they do not have one for you, if your spouse is important enough, they can create one.
  8. 95% of the 5 year (and up) employees are not fit for their jobs and have no training.
  7. Students are given info for requirements from people not trained and end up having to make adjustments themselves.
  6. More money is spent on the front end to make the campus look good rather than to make it last.
  5. Football players do not get arrested for doing anything, if they do they are released and sent home.
  4. Football players that RAPE other students are sent home and the story does not make the paper.
  3. VP’s that are promoted even after finding porn surfing on machine prior to the promotion, end up sexually harrassing female students and then having to leave town.
  2. Most of the instructors are here for themselves and padding a resume with more flare.
  1. Somewhere (maybe when several of the VO’s came from the education department) the institution put more value on the instrustors vs. the students.

  If you want your school to fail, please follow the above steps to crush as many dreams as possible while your instructors contnue to move forward and pad the old resumes.

  I have vever seen so many self rightous poeple in my life,

  
  

• I feel the same way. My student loans are so overwhelming that I’m thinking about going back so I can defer them longer. Plus, a masters never hurt anybody!

  
  

• The waste of time and money on classes that will have no purpose in anyones life. Such as Ethics in Technology. Ethics, whats that? A debate class with nothing but subjects that have no plausable answer but lots of controversy. Eventually you just lose interest. University, another name for NFL recruitment center. They care more about a winning team than an affordable education. The average student’s soul belongs to a loan company long before they even have a career to pay it back. Whats the point?

  
  

• I spent a year in college and quit. Same as #4. I was making more money and having more fun outside of college than in it.

  Now 17 years later I am taking college courses in areas that interest me and to fill in some gaps. My so-called “adviser” can’t grasp the notion that I could care less about getting the piece of paper.

  
  

• I did the college thing for 2 yrs, quit because I hated putting up with BS courses that had to be taken (because they were part of the program). I was interested in doing English related courses, then you have someone telling you, that you NEED to take a course in anthropology. Complete crap. Now I’m in the work force, and could be making double what I am now, if I had that stupid piece of paper saying I graduated from College. Needless to say, there is alot to be said about being a College Graduate.

  
  

• You people are going to the wrong colleges and are severely misled about what college is for. Everyone that succeeds knows that the purpose of classes are to force you to explore what you are interested in and to get you to teach yourself. If you are sitting in a class, and could care less about what is being taught, you are in the wrong class. If you expect teachers to force-feed you an education, then you are delusional. In my experience, having had bad teachers has forced me to learn on my own and has motivated me to be self sufficient. The purpose of college is to learn about yourself and to learn that if you want to do something, you have to do it yourself. It always has been. I do not need a college degree in the field I am going into, but my experiences at college have been priceless. Best of luck to you all…

  
  

• And the football players are kicked off the team and go to jail when the rape girls at my school…

  
  

• These are great points. I am currently in my first year of university, with finals approaching and I still don’t feel like this is what I want to do for the next 4 years. I never had to study in highschool and got 90’s but now that I am here I am basically screwed. All students are to these schools are numbers.

  
  

• Pretty much EVERYTHING # 12 says .. with emphasis on ““Teachers” know less than you do about their subject”
  Most of those teachers (at a college ironically called BSU) were the most inept people I had ever seen in my life. Everything from the campus coordinator to the teachers I had were just terrible! In the end it seemed that the college I went to was nothing but a scam. When the average amount of time students were spending at a 4 year college was over 8 years. . It should scream red flags. It means that you can’t get into any classes you want/need unless you get seniority. To get seniority you have to be there for 4 years.
  There was just so much wrong with that school, after 5 years I am still bitter about it. I want to go back to 4 year school but I doubt I ever will because of that experience. On the bright side, I went to a technical school for the same course and it was a world of difference for the better 🙂

  
  

• First off you have to enroll in college 2 drop out, second off, parenting is a big factor (although i have no parents i found my way through 3.5 years of video game design coarses) Another is funds and how ppl manage themselves, some students that graduate through high school are destined to be stupid the rest of their lives

  
  

• I could either work for experience and good cash with normal amounts of spare time, or go to school and work for crap wages until done while spending all my time working or studying. Then try to find a job quickly to start paying off my huge debt.

  I work in IT, where experience is typically equal to schooling when applying for work. The education is useless for the most part, since what you learned is obsolete by the time you graduate.

  
  

• Some are true but its mostly cause im lazy i have 2 papers due tomm and i havent done both of them man my life sucks lol

  
  

• The main reason I quit: Irresponsibly high expectations of the students. I have friends to this day who still get far far too little sleep because of papers and homework and that junk. Theres little education in those things, its a stress test. Just as my friends 8 hour exit exam had nothing to do with what he had learned, but was a test to see how he withstood stress, which has no place in a “school” as far as I am concerned.

  
  

• The best thing you can learn in college is how to learn. You need to learn how to teach yourself. In the real world your business will buy new technology products (both hardware and software). No one will know how to use it. You will be expected to figure it out – don’t count on tech support, etc.

  The piece of paper is a ticket that says you know how to learn. Nothing more.

  
  

• Wow, I was just about to say almost exactly what Mike said above. It seems to me that almost everyone in the comments section is going to the wrong college. To everyone saying they are dropping out of college due to not being prepared from high school or because they cannot stand the 1, 2, or 5 BS classes they are are forced to take, yeah dropping out definitely sounds like the right move to me. You are obviously ready for the real world and cannot learn anything from college. I mean in the real world, you never have to put up with BS and you’re never confronted with any situation that you’re not prepared for.

  OK, I’m sorry, there was a lot of sarcasm in that paragraph. But seriously, I would say people really need to put a lot more thought into picking their schools. Don’t go to a school just because your high school “bff” is going there, or because it’s the closest one to home, or because it’s the cheapest. Pick the one that fits you. Go tour the campus. Talk to the students. It works. I ended up turning down acceptance offers from two big engineering schools (MSU and NC State)to go to a small private school where the program and students more closely mirrored my values, and it was a great decision.

  Am I pretty burned out on school now? Yes. Do I want to be an engineer anymore? No. But I’m only a semester from graduation and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had here (good and bad) for the world. Pretty much any executive at a successful company (and we have a lot from our school) will tell you that the real value of college isn’t necessarily what you learn in the class, but the skills you pick up along the way and the network of people you create.

  In the end, you really have to do what makes you happy. For me, I wouldn’t be very happy with myself knowing that I had admitted defeat and dropped out. And I’d come to feel like any reasons I had for doing so were just excuses for taking the easy way out.

  Of course, it really is not right for some. Check out some options at the end of this pdf article.
  http://www.timeoutassociates.com/washingtonian.pdf

  There was also a really good article showing a cost-benefit analysis of a college education that concluded college actually doesn’t make financial sense for half the population, but I can’t seem to find it.

  
  

• Some university classes are only there to test your mettle; this is not High School. Learn from your failures and persevere. The real purpose of college is to push yourself – learning how to quickly acquire knowledge. This skill will separate you from the majority of all other people.

  
  

• […] Students Drop Out Posted on November 27, 2007 by Mike F. Go College has a list of 11 reasons students drop out of college.  While they try to be positive (”Hey, this […]

  
  

• There is one thing that most people do not realize concerning a person going to college. I went to college 4 years but didn’t graduate. Graduating was never going to be because of my lack of knowing how to effective study and retain information for a test (I only discovered this to be the problem later in life). However, I did gain something that people who do not go to college never acquire. I gained much maturing and social development. People who only go to college for one year gain some of the same.

  
  

• This list mostly contains things faulting the student. It grossly neglects how colleges can be at fault too. You can always redirect the blame back to the student somehow, but this practice makes me sick. Like the system can’t be at fault sometimes too?

  
  

• […]  Source […]

  
  

• I am a Prof at a major University. The common, and incorrect, theme to many of these posts is the disappointment of college and your career goals. Universities are not designed to give you a career, Profs do not care how much money you want to make. The goal of a “universal” education is to supply the country/world educated citizens, period.

  A majority of incoming freshmen lack the most basic skills to do college level work. After 4 to 5 years of cramming the night before type of studying, most of them will get a piece of paper, yet lack an education. And the funniest part is that you allowed the college to do that to you, take your money and give you nothing in return (well 4 years of free internet access). We thank you for your money that we use to educate the minority of students who are college skilled and will become future leaders.

  
  

• Peter, you’re welcome to provide your thoughts on why the system is a failure and we can consider it for a future post. 😉

  
  

• i am a freshman at a university. i did not want to attend a college right out of high school because i knew i would be burnt out on school. my parents forced me to go. i am 18 now, i want to leave my parents house, because i know as soon as i get one D on the transcript they are going to attempt to discipline me, so i have been thinking of ways of dropping out. i mean i thought if i had some money i could just leave, move somewhere and work for a while, get some cash built up and come home in 2 or 3 years. i just dont want to leave behind my girlfriend. college is the most depressing experience i have ever had, the classes are so boring, i read and read a stupid ass quaker history book, which is not going to affect me in the future, i really just want to be a newspaper columnist. i love to write, especially if something pops into my head. but for now i am going to try to find a new job and a place to stay this winter/spring, because i have a feeling i will not do so well. im having surgery monday and have a final wed. the surgery is tommy john surgery, and i think the pain will be a bit much but i am going to attempt to study this stupid history.

  
  

• I was lazy and immature.
  I only had one semester from graduation but blew it off.
  I am really regretting it now after 10+ years.

  If any one of you are still in college, please finish it off. Drop-out lingers in you for quite sometime.

  
  

• To ASD – Great advice. It’s worth the turmoil.

  
  

• I totally agree with #8! high school was so easy til i never had to study & didn’t develop good study habits and now i’m trying to cope with learning how to study!

  
  

• […] Why have your peers dropped out of college? Source […]

  
  

• Why do people expect others to hold their hand in college? College is the time to grow up, besides no one holds your hand through life. I think college is a business and they make cool subjects like art history boring with dense texts.
  Anyway, I’m tired of shit jobs and so I’m going back at 24 and trying to get it over with asap. The toil and grind will be worth it, I don’t want to work $7.50/hour for the rest of my life. Nah thanks. And after college it really is up to you to make it and with a degree it’ll be easier to navigate through the real world.

  
  

• Basically, if I had to grade Northwestern University, the college I attended, I would give them an F. Freshman orientation the speaker said, look to the left of you, now to the right, 2 out of 3 of you won’t graduate. In the sick gut of my stomach, I knew it wasn’t me. I turned out to be right. A college with that kind of failure ratio should have gone out of business long ago.

  1. Homesick: Not only homesick, I was so homesick I stole a car Thanksgiving of Freshman year, just to drive across the continent to get back home. How messed up is that.

  2. Education burnout: after 12 years of being tested to death, yeah, I was sick of f**king school. If they didn’t know I was smart by then, they’d never figure it out. And the system didn’t fundamentally change, it was just more of the same crap, only harder.

  3. Academic Unpreparedness: this was the biggest, and cruelest joke of all. The private high school I went to, miles above public school, didn’t even come close to preparing me for the Ivy league college I went in to. Basically, I didn’t even stand a chance, even if I had been in the best of health. There was just no way.

  4. Personal issues: I had severe diabetes, and had no idea what it was, and thought I was going insane… from caffeine and sugar poisoning in the soft drinks I was drinking. I was lucky most days if I could tie my shoes. The school counselors were clueless about this, and yet, diabetes is so commonplace every councilor should be able to identify it, particularly those at a college that charge $17,000 a year.

  Northwestern failed me, and worse, scarred me so much I vowwed never would return to college again. And I was an A+ honors student in high school, SAT 1380, and a really smart and creative guy. I didn’t deserve that hell. Twenty years later.. no… that poor kid didn’t deserve that.

  
  

• High school, college, both create panic and stress inside a person. Its not a healthy environment at all, and certainly not an environment conducive to learning. Tests, assignments, reports, grading, rules, conformity, homework, its all about controlling you and your time and creating internalized pressure. Eventually you will get sick from this. Stress causes sickness. That is why I got out in college. I had an ephiphany. It was all a rotten, insidious lie. There was no change from high school to college, it was the same old pressure, testing, and grading, only 20 times worse.

  Mandatory education enslaves you from birth in this thunderdrome competition to claw your way to the top, and parents unwittingly perpetrate this on their children. If they could only see the face of the psychological horror they were putting inside their kids, they wouldn’t let their child near a school. Twenty years later I’m still so conditioned to the panic and stress loops that they initially put into me, that I live in a nightmarish world from day to day.

  
  

• I can’t decide wether to go to college or not. Reason being that I am a junior in highschool and I have yet to decide exactly what it is that I wanna do with my whole life and time…and teachers here don’t ever make me WANT to go to school anyways. Most teachers a my school think that just because they are teaching the class, they can act as if they are your parent…and when they are having a bad day…students like myself usually end up having a bad day as well…not FAIR!

  
  

• Basically, that is why I feel that many other students drop out of highschool/college: too much shit from teachers. =)

  
  

• […] dropouts. Men, especially black men, are prime candidates for dropping out. From GoCollege, comes 11 possible reasons why. Here’s a viable reason. 3. Academic unpreparedness. Sometimes, high school didn’t […]

  
  

• because of being idle!!!!

  
  

• The philosophy of education is to teach atheism, and to punish those who believe in God (with defeat and high interest loans). Also, college is to defame character by deceiving others with stuff recorded in your records. With God all things are possible. Without God all things are not possible.

  
  

• I am currently a freshman at Missouri State University, this semester (my 2nd) ive realized that college is complete bullshit. I hate it here, everyone is 2 faced. Its the exact same as highschool i dont have the drive anymore to even attend classes because all the teachers do is talk about nothing and the test questions all come out of the reading. So really what is the fucking point. And assigning 30 pages a class to read for the next class period is complete bullshit. I have to work and make money in this hell hole. I do not have the time to read almost 120 pages a night. Are you kidding me the teachers all have the mindset that I only attend their class so i will have plenty of time to read all this bullshit which just isnt true.

  Another thing is the General Education Requirements at this school. Gen ed? sounds a lot like paying for high school classes. We are required to take a fucking PE class? WTF why do i need to take pe? am i going to be a professional weight lifter? NO im not going to be Richard simmions. I think that is just dumb. Not to mention we have to take a pre civil war history class? For what? WTF do i need to know about the fucking indians, we killed them all okay i got it. I know more than most of my professors and have won debates with them in almost every class. I think its bullshit, i want to goto a school that will actually teach me something. Not push political agendas into my head, i would rather make up my own mind about things and not be told that its a sientific fact smoking causes cancer. And that George bush is a criminal. I can make up my own mind. College is basically brainwashing it fucking sickens me. I think im going to finish out this semester then go to a Police Academy or into the military.

  
  

• I agree with #18. If going to college makes you happy then do it. If not, then stop complaining, get a job and work, just remember that although you may have your own opinion but the world out there is not acceoting applications from a college drop out all the time. Most of the time its just pure luck but if you are prepared to show education plus your working background, you best believe that you will find a job. IF YOU CANNOT FIND A JOB IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER GRADUATONG FROM COLLEGE IS BECAUSE OF HOW YOU PRESENT YOURSELF TO PEOPLE.

  
  

• It seems hard and meaningless sometimes but whatever degree you earn will help you support whatever family you have someday. That is the driving factor for me to stay in.
  My biggest temptations to drop out were cause I just thought I was worthless based on my grades in High School and first years of college. It still can be redeemed. In the end… LOVE WHAT YOU DO, DON’T GO FOR THE MONEY BUT IN THE END YOU WILL BE THE HAPPIEST IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING.

  
  

• My reason was purely financial.

  The college I went to completely mistreated me. They offered me a 15,000 merit scholarship which I was excited to get (despite the fact that the college charges 40k per year). I filled out the FAFSA and my estimated family contribution was about 6,000 per year. I could deal with that, so I decided to go. However, when they sent me the bill they were charging me 7,000 a SEMESTER. When I called them about it they actually had the nerve to tell me that my SCHOLARSHIP WAS MY FINANCIAL AID. They said that’s all I was getting, despite the FAFSA! So I had to leave, yet they’re still charging me for the first semester, even though I left in October. It’s ridiculous. Perhaps if I went to a different college I’d be less jaded, but the way I was treated makes me wary of any college in the future.

  
  

• I will drop out after I finish this semester, the schools administration told me I was going to graduate in 2 years from community college and transfer after that to a 4 year university.Well I’ve been here for 2 1/2 years and have another year waiting, I’m running out of money,(don’t have financial aid). And I’m tired of failing the same course for 3 times already (my high school teachers DID NOT prepare me for this type of classes). I regret not joining the military after high school. I waisted 2 years in college for what??Seriously follow your heart and listen to what it tells you…don’t do something just because you want people to think your educated it and have a degree. Do it because you have a passion!

  
  

• You guys are all stupid. College is not a waste of time. everyone is just too damn lazy to actually stick it through. there are a million reasons to push it through. Everyone knows that if you go to college you will be more successful in life. And going to college does not mean you have to go to a four year school. there are so many options its just people like you guys just feel bad for themselves.

  
  

• Glad to here there are ther people out there that are adamant with their decisions. Three days ago, one month from graduation – i finally said fu*k it. I couldn’t bear to BS for a B.S. The mental anguish that i’ve acquired by going to school is near brutal and i simply don’t want to contunue forcing myself through hell. I’m tempted to write “Chose not to recieve degree for moral reasons” on my resume. There are far more productive thing i can do upon leaving and i cant wait to have my professors sign my withdrawl papers with a giant grin on my face. Enjoy your life, enjoy your freedom – make your own decisions.

  
  

• I am now final year and would be graduate very soon. I am a computing (software engineering) major.

  But what I want to say is that entering university is really not a good choice in my life.

  It is totally waste time, learning from the Internet is even better than learning in the University. What I see is that many teenagers (high-school guy) computing skills is better than Univ. graduate (Comp major) students.

  Time management is also difficult, because lecture time is too short, which is not easy to handle assignment and project together with examination preparation in a 3 to 4 months.

  However, I am not america, I am from HK where the university generally adopt a mixture of british, america and chinese education system.

  
  

• I’m in College currently and I had dropped out last year. I decided that I wasn’t doing what I wanted so I started a new course. But my opinion on dropping out is that its just the easy way out of the situation. No matter what we do, there will always be a safety net lying there for us, doesn’t matter how bad we fuck up. That’s why I think people dropout so much, no real consequences for quiting.

  
  

• 3 words: Perserverence and passion

  
  

• stay in school and you life will be sucsessesful

  
  

• In response to #62: I feel your pain!!

  When I was pregnant with my son (who is 1 now) I went through the fall semester and even made deans list. I took the next semester off because my finals were around my due date. Then I moved states and in the fall I applied to another college, this time instead of a state school it was a community college. I didn’t decide to go until August and by the time I could get my HS transcripts from another state I just made the deadline to get financial aid, or so I thought. Instead, they took the Friday off early and entered those on Monday and I got automatically dropped from my classes which i found out on Tuesday. I tried to see if they could do anything, and was told two things: #1 get your teachers to sign a paper to enroll you in the class with their permission. and then I was told that I would have to pay the $4k or $5k out of pocket to continue going because it would be three weeks before I would know if I got financial aid.

  Needless to say since I had a kid and sold all of my belongings to move back east, I didn’t have that kind of money, and mommy and daddy have NEVER paid for my school. NEVER.

  Now, months later, I am getting collections for a 1k bill for the one class I got that signature for. I am filling out paperwork, but since I moved back west, they keep telling me ” we can’t talk about your account over the phone”

  I have been through 4 college admissions. This was the worst. The other Community college was nearly as bad. The state school was OK. and the Private college was awesome (but too high of cost of living).

  Here are my versions of the problems with colleges:
  1. The students coming to both universities and community colleges out of high school lack the educational prepartion for college. It starts in High School, fix that and it will trickle.. well.. up.

  2. Students think that this world is catered to them. I actually had a class where the parents complained about their kids failing so that the prof took his tests and dumbed them down. I was so mad. I wasn’t learning anything and getting A’s for it. Some may say “who cares?” that’s the problem. Accept challenges, accept knowledge, and accept responsibility. Mommy and Daddy will die one day and not be able to save your ass.

  3. The admission process grabs students in, but financial aid and tuition costs leaves us blind sighted, angry and frustrated. Let’s start with the fact that many students especially in the CC bracket are not associated with their parents. The idea that parents are responsible for their children until they are 24 is ridiculous. Not to mention policies to protect people from abusing they system, especially in my case, are hurting the people who want an education, and now because of the credit stuff, we can’t get any more financial aid or go back to school.

  4. It is a myth that is both true and false when it comes to whether or not you actually NEED a degree. To rise to management, or up in most organization you will need some type of secondary education. This is because your duties, even in labor industries require more interaction with others who have degrees. As our technology gets more developed, so will our labor industry. And that is why school that specialize in programs focused on certain industries and careers offer both programs to get into them and to continue education are popular, but are usually the ones with the most admissions problems.

  5. It is possible that you aren’t ready right away at the “right time” everyone seems to push. It is someone else’s ideal that has become the norm for HS students to go right to college. and when they get out, they work jobs they could have got without the degree, sure it may have paid $3 less at that time, but you have experience. And it is always possible to go back. we are a rut of a society that while we claim democracy we are strict in imposing our cultural and societal beliefs on everyone.

  This is simply my observations and opinions. Take it or leave it. But understand that our economics, politics and every thing else we deal with in life changes, and the best way to adapt is to learn about those changes, parallel historical events and move on with inventiveness into the future.

  I would like to note I also have worked full time since I was 17 and in high school. My lowest GPA in the past 3 years of Post secondary school was 3.1. It is not impossible. One must put forth effort.

  
  

• The main purpose of college is to graduate so you can get a job with a good starting salary, although many really are interested in furthering their education, that is the main purpose. Dropping out is one of the worst decisions one could make. I realize sometimes a person really has no other choice but it really isn’t that hard to stick it out and graduate, even if some of the classes are dumb, you just apply yourself, if that isn’t enough than it is obvious you just weren’t meant to go to college.

  
  

• I am looking to go to college but after reading what was posted. I think that I am going to take a year off to find myself and to really know that is what I want to do and I don’t want to leave my best-friend- boyfriend.

  
  

• I’m an accounting major, and it’s just OK. It’s hard work, but I put in the time and I’m successful at it. My whole life all I’ve ever wanted to do was play guitar in a band. That dream is still very likely. But a college degree is something that pays huge dividends for a lifetime. Finishing up my third year, I have an internship with a very large public accounting firm, and after 3 years I will have my CPA. It has been a long road of hard work, and I’ve changed my major 4 times. Although I do not love college and I do not love what I study, I know that it is worth it to be here. Of all the majors that are out there, accounting is the best one for me.

  On another note, I think that “not knowing how to study” is an unworthy excuse. Everyone must re-learn how to study in college. Sometimes you must commit 15-20 hours to studying for an exam (spread it out 4 days in advance if you need to). It’s the nature of the beast. If you really want that degree, no excuse can stop you. So get your balls in gear and stop dropping out of school!

  
  

• Wow, some of the posts on here are just plain demoralizing… I am about to graduate in 2 weeks (computer science) and it has taken me 9 years to do so. I am damn proud of myself having worked through the whole time and not drop out. To some of your points:

  College may not necessarily be useless to everyone. There are exceptions (Bill Gates, etc), but you can’t exactly bank on the fact that you know alot and you’ll get that next lucky break.

  Yes, I’ve found many required classes to be boring and useless (Chemistry for a computer science major? Biology?) But you know, its not always about the relativity of the courses, but how you manage through them.

  The benefits of a full college experience over dropping out?
  1. Its a place of networking. And no, I’m not talking about World of Warcraft networking. I’m talking about meeting and working with PEERS that may one day be an asset to your career, which can help you land a cushy job. Success if a combination of not only WHAT you know (which is readily available on Wikipedia and such) but WHO you know. What are the chances of you meeting someone who can help make an impact on your career if it weren’t for college?

  2. Dedication and responsibility. Sure, you can quit… who cares? The only person you hurt is yourself. And you haven’t really proven anything to you or anyone else. You really learn how to manage your time if you never learned how to do so in high school. Yeah, high school was a breeze and I’ve never had to study, but when I started college, it kicked my ass. However, I’ve LEARNED how to manage… Its called flexibility and ability to adapt to situations (skills that are highly sought after out in the real working world). If you can learn to manage the piles of homework and exams and effectively knock them out, you’ve not only proven to yourself that you can succeed at doing things that might not be of your interest, but you’ve also proved to potential employers that you have the flexibility and dedication they may be looking for. Don’t even THINK once you get out in the working world and into the industry you want to be in, its all coasting from there… but the fact is, no matter what, you’re going to be faced with situations and hurdles that you DON’T want to (but have to) deal with. Sound familiar? Oh yes, those projects and courses that you found to be a useless waste of time in college is rearing its ugly head in your career. Now you have to manage through them, just as you did (or did not) in college.

  College is just a test course. You may not always use what you learn… or you forget what you’ve learned from books, but if you learn HOW to manage your time and learn how to adapt to different situations, then I think you’ve got the main points of going through college.

  I think dropping out of college simply because “you don’t like it,” isn’t a valid reason. You’re only trying to make yourself feel better by taking the easy way out. Sure, it works for college, but you can’t just drop out of all your problems out in the real world. I’m sure the majority of people don’t like the classes and the time it sucks out of their lives while in college, but they’ve managed to put themselves through it.

  
  

• College is great, it just takes way too long to graduate. They make you take 2 years of crap that doesn’t apply to your major so you have to spend 5 years getting burnt out on school. The further along you get the harder it is to stay motivated, college really shouldn’t take more than four years to complete

  
  

• Well, after a few minutes of reading what you all imbeciles had to say, I would like to rue that most of you, if not all should go and commit suicide.

  I reckon almost all people who have posted their comments here are from US. I have heard about your vainglorious education system. Any high caliber student from my country will make quick work of your entire graduation. Entities are so amicable and easy there, you do not have to even try to succeed. It comes as a free gift with the fee that you pay to enter college.

  I wonder what were to happen if you people were to come to my country and study. Even your best candidates shall not last beyond a couple of weeks.

  Moribundly : LAWL.

  
  

• i just graduate from high school and i have a high GPA but my ACT is below 16 that doesnt make me stupid is just that i cant take the dam test because english is my second language now i am applying to the university of my choice, but they still thinking about accepting me dont you think they should look to see my grade how i did in high school instead of the stupid ACT because no every body can pass that class at leas i want to be something. When i put my mind into it i know i can do it and i agree with all your response.

  
  

• huh

  
  

• To all the people who say “college is not there to hold your hand,” yeah no problem…. but I’m paying 30,000+ a year. That especially goes for professors, you bastards make so much money and do what… teach. You suck, you are worse than highschool teachers and do not deserve your salaries.

  So if college was 1000, maybe 5000 tops a year, sure buddy, I’ll teach myself and thank you for making me a “world citizen.” But at 30 gs a pop, I want a job after wards, I don’t want bs courses, and guess what, I want to be taught.

  
  

• Maybe, students are not responsible enough…

  
  

• It took me six years to graduate from college as a double major since I changed my mind my senior year about my career choice. I had a good summer job and worked as a student resident assistant for many years so my college debt was low. In graduate school I spent a few years as a teaching assistant and had my own classroom. As a result I had an up-close view of students and the problems they had as they went through college. So here are a few of the things I observed with college kids over the years.

  About 2 to 5 percent have extreme social problems or psychic illness or may be ex-cons, ex-juvenile, traumatized war veterans. These people have real hurtles.
  Another 1 to 3 percent will do something extremely stupid (spurred by drugs, alcohol, firearms, felonies) which results in the ends someone’s life or college career, often around finals.
  About 2 to 5 percent have are depressed, home sick, parent problems, relationship problems, health problems, bad luck, have no desire or get angry and blow off finals.
  About 5 to 10 percent run out of money, parent gets laid off, or get divorced. Some quit school and take over their parents business.
  About 30 percent parties too much, cut lots of classes, have poor study habits and destroy their GPA’s. If college were a job they’d be fired.

  Treat college like a job or an internship, which means at least 40 hours of time and effort each week. Be serious and give it your best effort. There are books on how to study in college, buy one and read it a week before every semester. If you got a problem, colleges have all kinds of people that can help. Pay an office visit to a few of your favorite professors each semester and have some intelligent question for him. Someday you might need a reference from one of these guys.

  
  

• I am a senior in HS right now, and what I have to say is that some of you guys have a negative mentality towards college.
  College is supposed to be difficult,
  but also interesting and rewarding.
  The reason why some of you were so pissed was because you were not SERIOUS about getting a further education, so you lacked the will power to continue. Being lazy has it’s setbacks.
  If you’re in the wrong classes, change them, don’t just quit.
  If you’re in the right classes, pay attention and be serious.
  My gosh, some of you sound like whiney babies.
  LIFE IS TOUGH! You should know that by now.

  And thanks, MIKE, your answer was the best out of all.

  
  

• Just like to add my 2 cents in here, just bc you go to college and graduate with a degree does not mean you are going to make good salary. I got friends who graduated with their BSA and made 10 buks an hour bc they didnt have experience in the field they majored in. So if you think a college degree with help you get more money, you are sadly mistaken.

  
  

• fuck college. I am quitting. such a waste of my life and money.

  
  

• I think college is not a waste of time. im dropping out because i am just tired of school. I really wanted to join the army after high school but my mother was pressuring me to go to school. I wanted to make her happy, but i am not happy. Thats why i am dropping out. I will go back as after a year or so. But like i said before, college is not a waste of time, when you are ready to go.

  
  

• I think many comments on here are ignorant and many are just mean and uncalled-for. People just need to do what they need to do to be happy, whether it involves college or not. I think we should all stop lecturing each other on what’s right and what’s wrong.

  
  

• well i just entered a local college and i want to be a writer, director/producer, i wanna share my ideas of helping the world to make the world a better place. I worked 40 hours a week and got paid 950/hour, payday was every friday of every week, i would get a $400 paycheck every week and im 18. ever since i started school, i recieve a $100 paycheck. ive already skipped classes, i dont know if i should drop out this semester and work… i still wanna write all my stories and ideas…

  
  

• Sept.,2008 If you can learn to think for yourself rather than want to think just like everyone around you there may be a good reason why you are here living now, and in this time in history. You are far beyond your disability,your outer persona, your family name, your gender and whatever else there is that tells you who you think you are in the eyes of this world. There is more to getting an education than the rhetoric, the books and papers you must read and write. So much more is that knowledge is a great gift that we must never take for granted. Each person does have something special they do well, better than the next friend or family member. It is your attitude which will determine if you will live well or poorly. Anyone can make money–but what is it that actually drives you? Become the solution to your tiny part of the world, not the problem. Little children look to us as role models even when we don’t pay attention to them around us. Do it for all that is great and good within each of you. We have a responsibility to think critically, to want to and like to learn knowledge. We have a right to disagree or agree. We must first learn to respect life–value it, then go fearlessly forward, higher than you could ever dream or imagine—do something good with the time you have been given rather than bitch over things, or moan about things you have no real control over….Look at what you can do well, and nurture it, develop it—and get moving—time is ticking away—you won’t have forever—none of us will….Good education has a responsibility that goes with it….You are still either thinking, living, acting like a child would, or you have finally decided to grow up, be mature and do something about your situation. No one gives it to you…you have to learn to earn it—so is with education—there is the system, and there is what you can do to improve yourself, and the people around you….We won’t go backwards. Yesterday is gone forever. We can’t worry about tomorrow, it has never been promised to any of us…all we can do is be IN THE NOW…Humility has value in it, never arrogance. Kindness, helping others does have its rewards. But, if you are only living to make big money, and only live for what your needs are, forgetting the needs of your community—then my friends, you will get what you give —its as simple as that. Be well—and go for it—find out who you are, we all have gifts—but, you are the only one who can use them….so find them within yourself—stop being a drag man…..

  
  

• Spiritual thoughts also are learned in high school, or vocational and college environments. We don’t have to agree with everything we read about, listen to, or discuss. This is using your brain power. We can agree to disagree without getting upset with people who don’t say what we like to hear, etc. Each person in these United States has been protected by the laws set in place under the freedom of speech act. We don’t, however, have to abuse laws that protect each individual. The fact that education has a price should never stop anyone from pursuing knowledge, or their credentials. We must learn to follow the rules of engagement, even in the educational arena. There are alternatives: get into a virtual college environment if you can use a computer. Find where you can get the financial aid by contacting the Higher Education office in the basement of the Boston Public Library by calling the general library staff there and ask them. If you like to do hair, go to hair school. If you love doing nails, then learn how to do them professionally and go to work there. If you love cars and can take apart an engine with your eyes closed–go do a part-time gig with a garage you feel comfortable with. We all had to learn how to take steps, little steps before we learned how to leap and jump and run forward. Think outside your safety zone and get out of the boat going no where fast, or one that seems to only be drifting, and going no where. You really owe yourself an education even if its just to see if you can graduate from an institution of learning. For me, I have always believed in life-long learning. You are never too young, or too old, too thin, too fat, too gay, to straight, or too smart, or too dumb to learn something of value. But…you have got to want it for yourself…You can listen to your family tell you “no—you can’t” like my family said to me all the time, or you can say, “I’m going to look into it, and I can try”—I’m a grad student. A high school drop out, parents who died from substance and alcohol use and addictions. Everyone I knew hated school, but I loved books. I read subjects that interested me, then I learned to read better, faster, and bought a good dictionary because I sucked at spelling. As anything else you do over time, my habit became learning things. I love to learn new things. It keeps me young, and I am a better person for it. I am a good role model for people who are like me–afraid at first, but take a big leap of faith. I’m a grandmother in grad school with a 4.0 grade point average with students half my age. Yes-they make jokes about me as being “too old” to study with them, and I am laughing each time I receive a “A” for any papers I’ve learned how to write. I am self-taught. I just needed to prove people wrong, and prove to myself, “yes-you can overcome anything–a learning disability, challenges that derail you for a little while” I have cried and felt isolated at times because I was “different” than the students I went to school with. I’m almost done with my program. And, I learned my salary will jump to over $45,000 dollars annually because with my counseling credentials, I can help others achieve, and encourage others to “go for it too” and I will be laughing all the way to the bank—and man, that sweet feeling that you are somewhat of a big success is very, very sweet—indeed”

  
  

• College sucks. After you finish then what? Work for someone until you are like 80 years old? Sounds fun.

  
  

• I’ve dropped out (just stopped going) because of reason #1 #2 #3 and #4.

  I was feeling very sad, lonely and unprepared. After finishing school in another country I moved in to USA and started college right then. Without my parents (I started living with my brother) cooking, cleaning and other stuff you are not aware of, I had to learn stuff on the go, and money became tight.

  At the last trimester I started working 6 days a week and I took this class where we have to talk in front of the class. I got so panicked and hyperventilated at the thought of doing that I became very stressed and just stopped going.
  You can laugh or scoff but it’s a very real issue for me that I wish wasn’t there. I’m a very shy and air-headed person, and although I admit it’s a dumb class I just couldn’t overcome my panic, especially at such a depressing time.

  Now almost two years have passed, and I saved some money and want to try applying again. Problem is, my GPA is too low and I’m a disqualified student, I don’t think they will accept me back (they’re my only choice since I take the bus). If anyone has any experience or advice to get inside college again it would be greatly appreciated.

  
  

• College for the most part really is a joke. Wanna be a religion major? Fine. Take three semesters of basket weaving. Wanna be a computer engineer? Take 4 semesters of art history. I could go on. So much about college today is good, but an even larger portion is just plain stupid. The level of teaching and the professors who do it @ my university are next to worthless. Show up if they feel like it and assign mountains of busywork. High Schools nowadays do not prepare you for college and college is so much about stress as opposed to learning that it has very little similarity to the real world. I could never drop out, but I can understand why people decide to sometimes. Sometimes it just isnt worth the $45,000 a year fight.

  
  

• College is stressful. I was telling a buddy of mine how college is and you have to deal with everything. Yeah, like work and school, then study time, and then parting time or friends hanging out(socializing), then family and girlfriend and the list goes which leds to drop out.

  
  

• I have recently started college, been there around 5 weeks and already thinking about dropping out. Yes the social side is great and so are the friendships i’ve made however these only distract you from work. The real downside is the hard courses, homework and demanding work given. I’m struggling with work so far and this is the key factor in me wanting to drop out. Still unsure where life is heading, guess i’ll just have to see it through and live for the good times with my mates! But before you strat college have a serious think, are you willing to work. GCSE’s were a breeze comapred with AS levels. Be prepared, or prepare to fail.

  
  

• I’m in college now, 3rd semester. It’s not that it’s too difficult for me– I’m taking 18 credits/semester and have a good gpa, involved with things, etc. It’s just that I’m bored with it. I hate the college lifestyle. It’s got no substance, it’s all abstract academia BS and getting drunk with upper middle class kids, and both those things get old fast for me. Nothing at college is real. I don’t feel like I’m really growing very much from this. I can learn on my own, I have a library card and I use it. I learn some things at college, profs are interesting, but I like to learn by doing.

  The times that I feel happiest are when I’m at my part time job off campus (working with kids). But I want to be able to get an interesting long term job, and I don’t know if I can do that w/out a college degree. basically, I’m here to get a piece of paper that says that I put up with this for four years.

  And I can put up with it if I need to, it’s not a question of willpower, but I think I could grow more as a person outside of school, and if that’s true, why am I making myself miserable here? Not to mention going into debt at a couple thousand dollars a semester (and THAT’s with most of my tuition paid by financial aid, college costs are disgusting).

  I’m thinking about dropping out next year and transferring somewhere else (a city, instead of a small town with a self contained campus) and going to school part time and working too, so I can graduate, but college isn’t my whole life anymore.

  
  

• I’ve dropped out of a four year school and am currently attending a two year school and not doing so well. Having graduated high school with Physics, Astronomy, and three semesters of Calculus in the bag, I would say I have to strongly agree with the first three of these eleven reasons (the list at the top of the page, in case you’ve forgotten by now). I think college can become especially challenging for people who are as socially inept as I am, which is in turn compounded by the massive load of an overly ambitious course schedule. College can be extremely beneficial to job marketability, so I highly recommend attending and at least attempting a degree, but I also have to point out that it can become a very painful challenge for certain individuals and the amount of stress should not be made light of by those who have already conquered the system (I’m talking about you Corey, whose number 71 at this time).

  
  

• Hi, I was taking a Bachelor of Arts in English and dropped out because I didn’t feel like paying thousands of dollars for an education that I could easily pick up at the public library.

  To the professor who made the following post:
  “Universities are not designed to give you a career, Profs do not care how much money you want to make. The goal of a “universal” education is to supply the country/world educated citizens, period.”

  And that is why I dropped out because it could not give me a career. Most of the books I’ve read were on my own. University didn’t provide anything new to me.

  By the way I am now in technical school studying construction engineering and the funny thing about the tech school I’m going to is that graduates here are getting hired faster than those studying engineering at the university, as well as making a lot more. Go figure!

  
  

• Amber, what’s even tougher is wanting your degree more than anything but coming to the realization that you’re either not smart enough or not equipped with the right skills to pass your classes with a true understanding of what was taught.

  Now what?

  
  

• I dropped out of college twice – once in my 3rd year and again in my 4th. But I was still at community college. I had to work more than part time every semester so I was never able to take full-time classes, also tested in a low pre-req math, thus lead to me being really behind. I dropped out the first time due to extreme psychological problems (anxiety and panic disorders and depression) and also because I needed to work more. I returned for two more classes the following year, but was no better come the fall. I attempted full-time classes but became worse and that led to taking an “Indefinite Medical Leave”. Financial issues are also a factor, I need to work full-time to support myself.

  I feel that people look down on people who leave college and lump us into the “Drop outs” category. Sadly, there’s a lot of us who leave for very valid reasons. I graduated HS early, had a 4.0 GPA, was Salutatorian of my graduation class, gave that speech and all that jazz. And fought against my disorders valiantly but wore myself out and racked up tons of debt doing so. I had tons of dreams and absolutely LOVED college – I had so many great classes, but found myself incapable of continuing. It’s the worst feeling. I was someone who “hated studying” or was “lazy”. I tried to stay, and I wish I could.

  I hope people understand that not everyone who leaves college is stupid or lazy. We have illnesses, whether physical or otherwise, family problems or lack of financial means. It sucks.

  
  

• I’m attending college now. I came to a Christian college to get my basics and to learn more about what God would have me to do the rest of my life.

  
  

• I am in college right now and a college education is not all about the classes and grades it is about the experience. Many colleges have a ton of programs that you can get invovled with. There are clubs of different interest, plays, musicals, speakers, advocates of different kind of situations, and the list can go on. My advice is keep holding on, yes college is not for everyone, but for the people who are in college enjoy every moment. I am a second year this year and it has been my hardest semester so far, but I am learning that each day is a gift and it is about the experience. Everything that we encounter is a learning experience.

  
  

• I think dropping out was the best thing ever. I hated college, hell, I’ve always hated school. The constrictions, the stress, the other kids always thinking they’re GOD ALMIGHTY just because they’ve got a 2% higher grade than someone else. The only reason I went was because my parents wanted me too and I thought I wanted to go. Turns out that I didn’t and it was only because I was pressured into going.
  Everyone thinks that in order to gain “essential life skills”, or to “socially grow” they must go to college, however most who go shouldn’t and usually they drop out.

  I should know, I was given a job offer right after high school to work at a small tech corporation in Oregon. I declined and decided to go to the local university thinking I’d get a better job after school. WRONG! I was burned out after my first year and only kept going to get that stupid piece of paper. After getting my Associates, I eventually got the nerve to ask the company and they were DELIGHTED!
  I was given the same opportunity, but at a cost because now I had student loans to pay off. I was also p*ssed because I had learned more during high school years from books and the Internet than my few years of college.

  10 years later and now I’m the Senior Administration Engineer (basically, I know everything and tell all of my minions what to do). These new college kids think they’re so qualified just because of that piece of paper. It’s funny when they can’t even give a few basic examples of IT protocols, or know the simple workings of a business. I swear, some of them can’t even code their way out of a paper bag.

  Maybe college is good for some fields, but in technology, it’s always behind. I recently visited the local university, and was DISGUSTED. They were still teaching students old tech from the early 80s!! That was before I was even born!!! Personally, I think that anyone in the tech industry should either get certified (whether it be Microsoft, Cisco, or CompTIA), or open their own business, which is what I was thinking of for a while, but I may go on to senior management (they like me that much!!!).

  All in all, I want kids to know that it gets better after school, a lot better.

  
  

• I just read everything b/c I’m frustrated with college. Here’s what I’ve come to:

  Reasons why I’m staying: money for a family, believe I can still find something that makes me happy, social networking, having a degree (any degree) to present for a job.

  Valid reasons why I could leave: I dont desreve to put up with this. I have dealt with too much forced upon me. Same bullshit HS stuff.

  Either way: I will find a way that I can be happy, healthy, and safe.

  
  

• Just to reply to what people are saying about “being more successful” it is not a solid set in stone rule…..look at bill gates.

  
  

• I am Soooooooooo burned out of this entire experience!!! What would happen if I were to just say that I had the degree on my resume? Anyone ever tried that? How many employers actually check?

  
  

• […] get it. American education is in the shitter- and LSD can’t be our scapegoat this time.  So why do so many college students pack up their desks and hit the […]

  
  

• Wow, a lot of you guys really seem upset over your college experiences. I’m a first year student and these last couple of weeks have been hell. That doesn’t mean that I’ll stop trying. Granted, one guy said he got a good job without a college degree. Yet, that may not be the case for everybody.

  We are all different. You must carry out your own dreams. My dreams include having a good job that saves the world. Others might want to be a rock star or business owner. There is no singular road to success, and we must find our own way. Whether or not you wanna put college on that road is your business. Don’t let anyone make you do something you don’t want to do.

  
  

• Im a college dropout just because i dont know what i was doing basically involved in lots of fun with friends who are already drop outs!

  
  

• I bet most of the people that said on this page that dropping out is stupid, probably had an enormous amount of financial help. Even with scholarships and a job, I’ve struggled too much. And I’ll have too big of a loan to pay back because of it.

  So financial reasons is the reason why I’m thinking I might drop out. I’m taking time off to figure it out. I’d love to have a degree, and don’t mind working my butt off for it, but it’s a burden getting it all on my own.

  
  

• After reading the full thread of responses above, I think the most common problem here is unrealistic expectations.

  In high school, it is easy to be a star – even at the best of best private schools. You are surrounded by people who WANT you to succeed. If you pay a modicum of attention in class and are reasonably intelligent, you can breeze through your coursework and make good grades. The standardized tests are easy, and they even give you classes to “coach” you toward a better score. You have guidance counselors, friends, parents, and teachers who you can lean on in picking your future college and career.

  Unfortunately, that kind of support network has drawbacks too. Most people at graduation from HS have had every step of their journey planned out for them. Take this, go here, do that, and ta da! You’re all done. Time for the next thrilling episode!

  College AIN’T like that. When you arrive, there are many many MANY choices YOU have to make. What major? What classes to take this semester? How to split study time? What part of this huge pile of work does the teacher think important enough to put on the test? Financial aid? Social life?

  How do you deal with all these issues? There’s only one way: by facing them head on. I’ve been through every level of the college experience, from community college to PhD. I’ve made stupid decisions, and I’ve made good ones. Here’s some feedback from real world experience that might help some of you.

  1. College AIN’T like high school, nor should it be. You’re going to have to make new friends, or learn to get along as a loner. The major you pick, and the college you attend, are key. If you pick business, you are going to be FORCED to do a lot of teaming and networking. If you are in the liberal arts area, you are going to be forced to be a mirror of your professors’ social and political views if you want to “fit in”. If you want to go about your own business and be a loner type, you are probably better off in the sciences or a research oriented field like history. Choose wisely, and NEVER make your choice based on what your FRIENDS are doing. Why? Because you cannot count on them continuing in the program. As any grad will tell you, classmates come and go – continually.

  2. Understand what your career choice requires. There are basically only two option: to be TRAINED for a professional career (engineering, accounting, medicine, etc) that requires a college degree as an entry ticket; or to be EDUCATED in a particular field. There are very, very few people who graduate from any college curriculum both well trained for a high-paying job, AND well educated. That’s something most of us don’t realize until later in life, and it’s an important distinction.

  3. You’ve got to be ORGANIZED and FOCUSED to succeed. Many of you have reported not liking some of your coursework, thinking it’s outdated or boring. Sadly, the college, the licensing board, and your future employers don’t care whether you like it. Those classes are REQUIRED, meaning NOT OPTIONAL. Sure, lots of them suck, but so does a lot of the stuff you’re going to be doing for the rest of your adult life. They’re nothing more than hurdles you must pass in order to achieve your goal.

  When you arrive at college, the first thing you should do is print out a list of all the classes you have to take in order to finish your degree plan. Mark them off as you take them, and observe how you are progressing toward your goal. Check the degree requirements EVERY YEAR, and make sure they haven’t added or changed anything – because colleges frequently do, and it sucks big time to go apply for graduation and be told “Ooops, you forgot to take a required class!”

  4. When dealing with the bureaucrats, including teachers, be courteous, direct, and *persistent*. Don’t take no for an answer when it’s something important. Remember there is an appeals process, and you can always go in and talk to your department head, dean, registrar, etc. When you teach, you learn very quickly that the vast majority of students at college NEVER come to office hours, ask questions, etc. The ones who do stand out. Important life lesson: The profs and bureaucrats can only help you if they KNOW YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. Go talk to them, they won’t bite. If they are rude, stand your ground and tell them “I came to you for help, and I don’t appreciate your rudeness. If you cannot treat me with politeness and respect, I will take this to the dean.” It truly is that simple.

  5. Do not despair over making a low grade, or not being perfect. If you fail a class, learn from the experience and re-take it. You CAN pass. And you CAN find a job even if you graduate with some C’s, D’s, or even F’s on that transcript. You’ll just have to work a bit harder to make up for it. Failure is NOT the end of the world, unless you let it be.

  6. Don’t set yourself up for failure. One of the biggest mistakes students make is to take advantage of their high school placement tests and “earn” college credit. “Yay! I don’t have to take trig or algebra, I can go straight to calculus!” (or Honors English, journalism etc). If you are not a truly well prepared student, what you have just done is the equivalent of being a barely competent swimmer and jumping off the bridge into white water. It may take you more time to go through the full class sequence, but it may make your life much, MUCH more bearable.

  7. If you are poorly prepared, take the remedial classes at community college. Don’t spend big bucks at a major school taking remedial classes. I’ve seen several students spending thousands of dollars in tuition on remedial coursework that they could take for $100 at a community college. Remember also, if you are at a 4-year school, remedial classes DO NOT count toward degree requirements and could add months or years of extra time to graduation.

  8. Don’t be afraid to drop a class when you have to. Depending on your grades and finances, it can sometimes be better to drop a class than take a bad grade. It’s not something to do on impulse – think long and hard about what makes the most sense for your current situation, and how it will impact your future schedule.

  9. Be aware that in adult life, you are going to meet one heck of a lot of people, and a surprising number of them suck viciously. They’ll take advantage of you, demean you, cheat you, and generally connive to make your life a miserable hell. One of the most important things to learn as an adult is “coping skills”, and how to deal with the scumbags you meet. Be direct and forceful with them when you have to, and don’t let them deter you from your goals.

  10. Be aware that a heck of a lot of cheating goes on, particularly amongst the foreign students who seem to have thriving networks “back home” that provide the solutions manual to almost every major American textbook. I learned this as a teacher, when I observed multiple students turning in identical papers. Investigation revealed a Chinese copy of the solutions manual. Don’t buy into the baloney that the foreign students are all superior to Americans – do your best, study hard, and when you see somebody cheating TURN THEM IN. Don’t let somebody skate through a class earning an “A” for something you’re having to bust your ass to do all on your own. Make ’em compete on a fair and level playing field.

  MOST IMPORTANT LESSON OF ALL: Don’t build up a mountain of financial debt to obtain a degree that will earn you $20K per year. You will never get it back, and those loans will hang over your head forever. I’ve seen this happen to MANY students, and the financial pressure can drive them to despair. Ways to minimize cost:
  (a) Get first 60 hours in at a community college, and obtain that A.S. while you’re at it so you can make some money. I got my associate’s in electronics technology, and working as an electronics tech I immediately doubled my pay over the jobs I was working before. That money paid my way through engineering school.
  (b) Live at home if you have to, and commute instead of living in a dorm. You’ll miss out on the “college lifestyle” of dorm living, but you’ll save a ton of money.
  (c) Take a sack lunch in your backpack, and don’t eat at the school rape-a-terias which will charge you outrageous sums for crappy food. Also avoid their franchised fast food outlets which will cost you $$$$ and kill you quicker to boot.
  (d) Go to a state school with a good program and get the most cost-effective training you can. No need to pay high private college tuition, since once you’ve graduated and got that first job the school you went to just doesn’t matter much except for networking. Hard work gets you ahead in real life, not the school name printed on your diploma.
  (e) Don’t take summers off. Use the summer semester to rack up required coursework at the community college, or to work as an intern. It will cut a full year off your college time if you use summers wisely.

  Good luck to all of you. Don’t let the bastards wear you down, and don’t let temporary problems, stress, or setbacks deter you from your long term goals.

  
  

• I want to leave college cause I am not meeting any new people. My mom wants me to stay but she doesn’t get the fact that I HATE it here! She doesn’t even want me to transfer to Temple which is 20 minutes from my home. The college I am in now is the college she went to, but she got pregnant and left. Now I think she’s pushing her hopes and dreams on me, and I don’t want them. This is my second semester here and I still don’t know anyone but my roommate. I feel so out of place because I am 6 hours from home, and I don’t have a car. I don’t know if i’ll be back in the fall. Most likely I will because i’ll be forced to.

  
  

• Well… I have dropped out of college.

  More or less I burned out last Spring. There was one class where a professor basically told us that we were wasting our money and graduating from here would mean nothing. Even if pour your heart out, study really well, get a good GPA, dean’s list, honors program, internship, etc… chances are you’d STILL be stuck with some craptastic job where you’re maybe making $13-$14 an hour.

  The cost of college was racking really high and originally my goal was to transfer to some Ivy League school after a few semesters, but then I came to realize that I had about a snowball’s chance in hell. … And, I don’t know… I just lost all drive and motivation. Now I’m living with a roommate and working a shitty part-time job because I can’t bring myself to face my family.

  Just… why does life have to be so hard?

  But, I agree. Most high schools do not prepare you AT ALL. Most of what I was told about college in high school was complete and utter fiction.

  But I don’t see why I should have to throw tens of thousands of dollars in the hole for nothing. So… I don’t know what I can do for now.

  
  

• First of all, high school did not prepare me for actually studying for tests, they gave me a LOT of breaks, which were cool in high school, but now I’m absolutely screwed. Although, I have always had high testing scores throughout my life, one arrogant college professor broke me down my 2nd semester of my freshman year. He was horrible at teaching, and more concerned with his own research and interests. The class was foreign to me even though I went to class everyday. The first day of class he made us do a challenging worksheet and refused to help me when I asked for it and told me I would figure it out. This was Chemistry… I failed that class, it was 5 credits, I was put on academic warning and have NEVER gotten my drive back. I’m in the middle of my junior year now, i have no place to live next year, still don’t know what I want to major in, and living off money my parents give me. I’m tempted to move home, go to tech school and get paid whatever an hour and enjoy myself for once.

  
  

• well, college is just too expensive! you’re working so hard, you try your best! but what kind of assurance do u get anyway for a good future?
  plus, ive never been ready! i have a lot of issues regarding myself, family and friends! my life just sucks basically!
  i just lost my motivation to go college..im currently taking psychology

  
  

• I have an 18 year old in college and am watching him struggle with the commitment to spend time studying vs goofing off. This is his dream of 3 years…will he make it? is he ready? he needs to make up his mind!!! How can I help? frustrated….

  
  

• I’m in my 4th year of college now.

  I like it but i’d probably drop out because I hate the way my degree is structured.

  im finishing off my degree with this year and if I get it done I’d be very happy, but ive just run out of courses I want to take now it’s all advanced AI and data algorithms and advanced software development, which all require a pre-req I struggle to understand(I failed it).

  one road or perish that’s what it looks like for me unless i get to another campus when I have no car.

  
  

• I am in the midst of dropping out.
  I currently attend one of the most competitive conceptual art schools in the country. I know that I could do really well if I stay on. However, I don’t want the validation that just because I have a piece of paper saying that I have the official stamp of approval that will get people in my field will accept me.

  I want to feel good for what i’ve learned because I will have lived it and that I’ve come to them on my own terms. Ironically, the only hardship here is to fit. People claim here that fitting in is impossible because everyone was the outcast of their school. I don’t find that the least bit true. if you don’t fit here… you are an outcast. No one respects your work and no one deems you worthy of critique attention. Everyone has fit into some sort of art school mold. It ranges from, goth, hipster, punk, etc etc. I have yet to find my place here, and I doubt I ever will. No one is inspired because everyone is bouncing ideas from each other. So, the same ideas keep getin incarnated week after week.
  People are paying big money, for what they could be doing on their own. Living their lives and exploring what is left of our world. Instead, they only comment on what their newspapers or tvs are telling them.
  And for what? So some gallery can buy their work and show it and they can go on to their next project. I’ve had it with this mindless concepts that are just so some gallery will accept you!

  With a world like we have now, no one can afford to be living in such self absorption and sense of delusion.

  I want to make art and help people. I want to know that I spent the livelier half of my life doing good rather than walking around like an art school hipster drone. I don’t mean to be a holier than thou person right now. But, all of this is true.

  so I am joining the peace corps after this semester. I do plant to change the world. Even if it is in the smallest way possible. I just want to do things for others and myself that make people happy.

  
  

• 5. i dropped out college last week, cause someone got my bank details n used it fradulantly over the internet so i cudnt pay my bills and i was skint and i still am , cnt find job, wke up feel like shit evry day ahh but hopefully i learn from this ? now i dnt kno wot to do, i wanna go travelling but need money for that pfft… anyone got an idea wot i cud do? i dont even kno if fashion design is what i want to do anymor and the ppl i hang round with r all unemployed too so i hav no alot of motovation but i kno i gotta do something n im gettin bored..

  
  

• I’m dropping out..or at least taking a long break at the minute. i went to the tiniest high school…i only graduated with 7 other people. My first year at college was very rough because of the major differences between high school. My second year was ok, but then my mom got cancer. My third and fourth year were not good at all because I had mom to worry about. Then my uncle and god father had a major accident and got put in a coma. Then this summer my mom passed away, i got fired from my job (because i informed the parents at my daycare that the owners were putting more kids in my room then their license allowed), and now i have to deal with school?!? On top of all that, my professors pretty much could care less. We also have a crap attendance policy. if you miss 5 classes, your grade gets lowered one letter. So even though I get A’s and B’s on all my work, because of all the junk that has happened in my life, i end up failing because i miss too many day. how crap is that. It’s a true testament to the fact that colleges really just want your money.
  i was going for an art education degree, but in the five years i was there, i really truly only needed to learn about 5% of the stuff they ‘taught’.

  
  

• omg nina!
  im sorry to hear all of that.
  [nd i thought i had it hard…]
  but keep your head up! =]
  props to you for all your hard effort.

  
  

• i feel if you drop out of college thats nobodys fault but yours you need to get it together and stop lolly gagging around

  
  

• I would like to add, that the competition at some of these big name schools is so feirce that you are almost pushed out the door. I went to Berkeley and the competition is absolutely unbearable; if you are not the very best then you are setting yourself up to fail. College should be enjoyable and not so oppressive and demanding.

  
  

• This is a good list of reasons, but I don’t think you should title it the “top” list when you don’t have any numbers for it. I’ve read in numerous places that financial problems are the #1 reason students drop out of school in America. Like I said, it’s a comprehensive list of the different reasons, but it’s misleading to put them in a numerical list when you don’t have any statistics.

  
  

• Some of these responses are very insensitive. If you feel like school is not where you should be, I think you should go do what it is that you feel like you’re supposed to be doing. I mean, God has a plan for everyone, right? What if yours doesn’t involve school? I mean, I think that’s completely possible. That also doesn’t mean you’re dumb. Anyways, plenty of dumb people do go through college, graduate and get degrees. College says nothing about intelligence. (Unless you continue on and go for a very specific degree like a Neurologist or whatever, where obviously you don’t want an uneducated schmuck messing with your brain.) But I don’t think that dropping out says that you are a quitter, or that you feel sorry for yourself, or that you’re not smart. Maybe you just need a break. There shouldn’t be any shame with that. But who am I to talk? I’m still trying to work up the courage to drop out.

  
  

• Dropping out was the best thing I’ve done so far. I made it through two years of bull and finally said “enough”. My mistake was going to a private school full of kids who didn’t know anything about life. They partied and drank and skipped class and went to school for free because their parents paid for the soccer field. College is not an institute for higher learning, it’s a business. They could care less if you stay or not, as long as you pay your bill.

  I dropped out almost three years ago, and I’m making 50k a year. Next time you’re looking for a job, look under the Education Requirements section. It will most likely have a degree level followed by the words “or equivalent work experience”. It’s not impossible to find that perfect position. I believe in starting from the bottom and working your way up. You’ll be networking and gaining critical experience all at once.

  My parents realize now that college isn’t right for everybody, and it wasn’t right for me, but my extended family isn’t so forgiving. Oddly enough, a number of them are college professors. My only hope is that at our next family get together, they drop it. I’m not going back.

  Do what’s right for you.

  
  

• The reason I would drop out of college is because I have no contradictions I’m aware of. I can see the truth and I can see right through liars and “bull”. You go to college because you want to work for someone else or have been pressured into going. You do not need a “degree” to tell you how smart you are, you do not need a teacher to read a book to you. You need to bet on yourself, because that’s your best bet.

  
  

• The education system, in America at least, is a crooked racket. There is a complete disconnect between High School and College… high school does not prepare you at all for college. Worse, by the time you get to college, you’ve been so stressed out from the constant testing, and being pumped up with caffeine and sugar by the crooked food industry, that by the time you’re 18 you’re diabetic and can’t concentrate any more to save you life.

  From 2000 to 2009, college costs skyrocketed 450% or 4.5x, while dinishing in value. When everyone has a college degree, they become less worthwhile to have. Worse, do a google search on “PhD glut”. Why work your ass off for 12 years in High School, and then fork over $200,000 to a college to turn your brain into mush, only to become a drone to military industrial complex or an economic slave. You’ll be working 50 weeks out of the year, with only 2 weeks vacation. What kind of life is that? Its no life. Its death. Death in exchange for money, and not very much money at all.

  Better to start your own enterprise and work for your own accounts from the very beginning. Start your own college.

  My advice to you: don’t believe in the college lie you’ve been told all your life. Because that’s what it is. An outright lie. Like Joseph Goebells said, make the lie big and repeat it over and over, and people will believe it. There is no proof whatsoever anywhere that a college education increases your long term income or will make you happy. There’s an ocean of people out there unemployed with college degrees… making nothing going to job interview after job interview, compared to the beggars on the street who bust their but every day earning an income. If anything, its the fast track to becoming deep in an ocean of debt.

  Better to start off right out of high school making and saving money, and going upward, instead of downward into debt. With the internet, and wikipeida, and an ocean of books and information out there, you can get your own degree and certify your education yourself. You are you’re own authority. Seize it, and you become what no six year college student can… empowered over your own destiny.

  
  

• I graduated in 2003 from a lower standard high school. I was a punk that slacked off quiet a bit. I decided to go to college two years ago 2007. So far i have 31 credit hours complete, mostly intro classes, and i have dropped a total of 10 credit hours(math082,geology101,his101). And i have noticed i have accomplished a descent amount. I have to say unfortunately i gained all these 31 credit hours because i had easy teachers- teachers that passed me because i showed up. These classes i dropped out of…those were the ones that actually made me think.. Now should i keep on going to college just so i can have a “hit or miss teachers” so i can get a degree and get a fancy job even though i didnt learn anything?

  I think college is over-rated! Job training for a specific job is highly more intelligent and faster. When you start a job they always giving you training anyway. Why do we have to spend our lifes in school when our jobs can give us a weeks lesson, instead we make our college criteria’s long and difficult.

  We make our math majors study over 12 credit hours of history-Our english majors study over 15 credit hours of math, algebra, etc. For what? We have specific goals why give us walls to knock down?!?

  My major is in social working. Why do i have to know calculous? Let alone why pie was created? Do i care who the Russians fought? Do i care about anything that happened in the past? These questions run thru my head constantly in school.

  Thanks for letting me vent. lol Time for school. =)

  
  

• I’m currently attending a c.c. thats about a 30 min drive from where I live. I’m about to drop out because I didn’t realize that I wasn’t prepared for college and I can’t afford to put gas in the my car to drive back and forth to school 3 times a week. It is a lot more stressful than I ever imagined it to be. And my prof’s are disgusting excuses for educators if I’ve ever seen one. I have a dyslexic math prof. who makes more mistakes in 50 min. than I can count, then she yells at us for laughing and had the nerve to say “I don’t laugh at you when I’m grading your tests!” Umm hello, your the g.d. prof!! You can’t afford to make as many mistakes as you do per class. Basically, I hate college. It’s a waste of time and money, especially considering it’s a b.s. community college.

  
  

• Well I’m about to drop out for the 6th time. I really enjoyed reading these posts but my situation is a little different.

  I never fit anywhere but in college, in Academe. I was a history major so I had no illusions about doors being opened and fat paychecks. I loved the “abstract academic bs” the stuff you only learn in college and need to know if you continue the life of the mind. College is the only place impractical intellectualism is useful.
  So why am I dropping out?

  Mental strain, I do so well and then something collapses. Under stress or something but then I can’t think or write and all my classes are the analytical humanities kind. No I’m not learning marketable job skills except critical thinking about culture/theory etc. which is marketable for grad schools and onward up the academic ladder. I finally made it to the senior level all 400 level classes where there is less time for mental collapse. And no one I talk to seems to understand. This stuff is what I love but I can’t see continuing with such an inconsistent mind. It’s really very painful both ways throwing it all away or staying until I completely snap mentally.
  And financial aid is going to have my ass so I don’t know if I can come back later.
  One positive thing academic history is not about having fun and enjoying history, maybe my mind can go back to reading it for fun and pleasure instead of for an assigned grade.

  One thing to remember: college, no matter how pointless and bs a class seems, is about submitting TO assignments. This was always so hard for me, I’m passionate about a lot to the point if I can’t get into something, I can hardly do it. Eating shit you hate is an essential skill that that piece of paper certifies you know how to do. I guess I’ll go back to eating hourly wage labor. Funny I have no real job skills after all these years except for maybe that required IT 101 class, which I hated.

  
  

• If I ever dropped out it would be because of #5. My major is only offered at private universities (Animation) I also have a deep fear that there wont be a job for an art student such as my self when it’s time for me to leave .

  
  

• I am currently in college and I am burned out on the experience. The people are all the annoying people from high school. The classes are boring and way too easy. Also the classes are so short, unlike high school where you are in the class for a whole year, in college it is by semester, that you can’t really learn everything. Do they honestly expect us to read an entire text book in only 3 1/2 months? Also I don’t agree that college is important. I am smart and I have learned more on my own and from the discovery channel than all of my time in college. I think people just go to get a job that pays later on in life. They couldn’t care less about really learning, which is why I went, so the classes are easy, but it is such a waste of time. I’d rather spend my money on something I care about like music than on a piece of paper that said I have a major in something I half care about

  
  

• Hello, I’m posting mainly for my own support I guess.
  I am now a certified college dropout. My semester ends in May this year I think.
  Basically I was majoring in accounting but deep down inside from as long as I can remember, music has always been in my life. Now I know in America, its’ tough to do anything worthwhile to make money here. My husband is an entrepreneur and he kept saying to me, “You need to know who you are.” In essence he knew I was a musician but tried to fit into a major that was available here at the University so that we can have money or someting secure.
  I had been feeling nervous about his entrepreneurship so I wanted to have something secure to fall back on. Lately school has gotten to the point where I seriously, with three small kids and trying to support my husband’s entrepreneur ventures, and deep down inside feeling such a depression for trying to kill my right brained creativeness with a left brained accounting skill (mind you I am a musician who plays by ear so I can’t even be in a Music degree because you have to do a formal recital/reading music which I can’t do)…anyway, I seriously was starting to feel suicidal with myself trying to kill off who I really am as an artist. Anyway, this semester,my financial aid came in 1 1/2 months late and I’m in a Cost acct class with a uppity teacher that teaches the PHd style meaning its not layman’s terms and definitely not understanding to students who got their book 1 1/2 months late…on top of all that we live in housing that requires me to take 9 credits and pass them so that we can get this good deal on housing with all utilities paid…i know its a good deal. basically its just way too much for me. The bottom line is that I’ve been in college for over 10 years and switched my major several times….I guess I’m saying now that it is WORTH IT to go with your natural ability and what you KNOW that you love. For some people such as myself, there is no set degree in school. Don’t make yourself fit in a place that you don’t fit, such as a degree that doesn’t/won’t facilitate doing what you love. For me, I am going to start a series of businesses/nonprofits. sometimes people don’t want to be a part of the ratrace, they just want to help others. if thats the case, think of nonprofits or of starting one. even though the economy is tight, you may be able to find a niche out there like a community that needs help or something.. and you can receive major funding from businesses and foundations and you can be part of the administrative making a salary doing so or an employee of this cause. this is the answer for me…sometimes there are more important things than school…sometimes its a timing thing…but don’t ever forget that school will not evaluate you and ask you what you want to do. they will just offer you answers. you need to find out who you are and maybe you can either go with that, start your own business in someting you love, start a nonprofit or work for one, and sometimes everyone can’t do that. Just my advice would be, it takes a lot of balls to drop out and do your own thing and trust yourself and believe in what you can do. sometimes school can accentuate that. for me i’ve learned many things in my degree in business to be able to start one. also i can always go back, but now its on my terms. just love life, don’t get in a lot of debt, don’t fall into the conglomerate/corporate trap, love LIFE before you end up being an alcoholic, strung out on drugs or committing suicide (the extreme end) due to the lack of desire and passion you have in your current job/situation. that’s the answer for me. bottom line: if it’s to return to school or stay in it, make your OWN path, KNOW what it means to work for someone for years so you can pay off your 30 year loan for a house….UNDERSTAND what you are getting into when you are getting your degree…its so you can work for someone else most of the TIME! if you DON’T want to do that, then PLAN YOUR LIFE OUT because if you don’t everyone else will try to do it for you so they can take your coveted Dollar or trap you into working for them just for the money. you have to get to know you…one of my great psychology professors said that over 90 percent of adults don’t know who they are…by watching all these ads, movies, music videos persuading us, we Forget who we are. we all have a place purpose and mission in life.
  The end

  
  

• I should clarify most of what I just wrote…First off, I realized I do NOT IN THE EVEN MILDEST OF HELLS want to work for a firm for 30 years. I do not even give a care what they offer, pensions, or whatever other stuff…I cannot submit to that lifestyle nor am I excited about doing that. Basically I realized I do not want to WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE. that’s the point. It’s insulting to me.
  Now, that’s just me. The point is, sometimes you go to college then start your own business. But for me, I was majoring in Accounting, I feel I have learned enough to start my own business, and then employ an accountant later on. I DO NOT Have to be the accountant. I do not want to get a house and work like a dog just to have a house. that is not my american dream ok? for everyone it is different. i’d rather try to build someting by way of businesses, be successful in them and yeah maybe i gotta work in the meantime but that is the life i desire. my sister in law just grad. with a law degree. she would love to be on salary and stuff at a firm. me, not so much. that is not my american dream. entrepreneurship is the only other option if you are not going to finish college and work for someone. that or join the military or some other thing such as that. just i am realizing what my options are. the biggest thing, dont look down on those who don’t go to school/degree or those that do.. in many ways this is an issue based on options and desire as to what one wants to do. Have the confidence that, when you find out your OWN answer, to keep your head up through the good and bads, because either way there will be goods and bads. there are many entrepreneurs people dont hear of that are making quite a comfortable living. Find out what you want. what kind of living do you want? do you value/happy with making a lot of money MORE than doing what you love? this world will not tell you anything as to what or who you are innately. you need to do your own inner work and set a plan, figure out what the best thing is for YOU. dont listen to anyone else. i agree with the people who say follow your heart not necessarily the dollar sign.
  At the bus stop 3 days ago at my school i asked this Architectural Art major a question. How did you know this major was for you? (he told me what he was majoring in a few minutes into our conversation.) He said, he just has a natural ability to do it and he can’t really explain it. i told him i was reconsidering my major. he told me something good, though in an awkward nerdy kinda way (thats ok i guess.) he said he heard something good..do what you love, even though you are starving, because your passion for that will be able to make you successful. also, i think if schools’ involved, then do it. if it’s later, then delay it. usually you can defer your loans for a economic hardship reason or someting. don’t just turn to things that won’t help you out like drugs or alcohol addictions because you’re unhappy…i say take control of your life so it can be that much more bearable and a life that YOU made, not some professor or some parent or friend.
  peace.

  
  

• I dropped out of college for several of the listed reasons. I was able to get decent high school grades without developing any study skills. This was a huge problem. I was homesick, in other words, not emotionally prepared for the college experience. The only parameter that I was given by my father for choosing a major was that “it had to lead to well-paying job”. To meet this requirement, I chose engineering, despite being marginally talented in both math and physics. When the coursework got tough, changing majors did not appear to be an option, since I didnt feel any change would meet my father’s approval. The only person I bonded with was a guy who lived in the dorm next to me. Unfortunately he was a drug dealer. My substance abuse accelerated the downward spiral and by the end of my sophomore year, i was academically ineligible. My dad had informed me in the middle of that sophomore year that we were not likely to have enough money for my junior year, anyway.

  Not writing this for anyone’s pity. I made poor decisions and I accept the consequences. I eventually got my life together and have a successful career doing something I enjoy.

  
  

• I’m dropping out because school doesn’t teach me what I want to learn, and it doesn’t encourage forward thinking.

  With both teachers in schools at the college level for over 25-30 years I have learned a great deal about the politics behind education. It doesn’t look to attain true knowledge.

  
  

• This is ridiculous, you guys are complaining about college because it’s a little more challenging than what you’re used to. It’s pathetic just how lazy Americans have become and nobody seems to realize that NOTHING IN LIFE COMES EASY. And the things that ARE easy are not worth attaining. If you want to work at McDonald’s for the rest of your life that’s fine, but if you want to feel like you’ve actually done something with your life then suck it up and finish college. Stupid cry babies.

  
  

• I did not enter college thinking that tommrow I shall drop-out I loved the place instanly & my work spoke for itself,I was well appreciated by all the V.Best(teachers & students alike),not because they loved me or I was special but because I was good.My course was a compressed one.Hence,alot of pressure & grades started slipping..& the best part people who are dumb(can’t tell diff. between trivial things),get away beautifully Aceing everything not because of hardwork;but because of contacts(either at college or elsewhere in life)
  I would’nt have bothered a single moment worrying about all this if I was not good enough.- Now the battle with self to out beat rest has began,though at this point I have alot of negative influence around me(people who don’t believe I ever can or ever will).
  All I’d say is even Albert Einstein was not considered very bright at school.Take John Nash for example,it was his drive & his drive alone that got him where he is today,inspite of his mental disturbances.He had won a nobel prize-Economics, “for their pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory in the theory of non-cooperative games”The great men like these are not what they are because of the University/College or School they attended.It is the love they had with there subject & the will to excel that’s why they are where they stand today.It’s not going to be easy,neither has it ever been,but than again it is our basic human nature that things that come to us easy we don’t value them half as much,& value the things we have to struggle & prove ourselves..John Nash is the greatest inspiration for me,today.I believe if he can at his age than so can I,just need the will,hardwork & struggle.

  
  

• I guess I’m considering dropping out because of #1 or #4. I read somewhere that true introverts have a hard time in college. I’ve only taken two semesters, 4 classes each, and each semester has had one teacher out of four that thinks presentations are a great idea. I planned to only suffer through that in the one required communications class that I have yet to take. I ace my other classes in which I attend lectures, take notes, study for tests, and pass with flying colors. Why must I live in a world built for extroverts, the other 75% of the population?

  
  

• I didn’t even finish the 11th grade yet I am a full time student, minimum wage making, single, mother of 2 and I have A’s in all 5 of my classes. Not to mention that I am only 20 years old.
  I have made wrong decisions yet NOTHING will stop me from having a career to do what must be done.
  It is extremely hard yet I am excelling.
  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, including yourself.
  YES my teachers do suck in EVERY SINGLE one of my classes, yet i’ve learned that nothing will be given to me and i have to do whatever it takes to learn what i must.
  I’m supposed to be doing a paper for English Comp I on “Why college students drop out”.
  Now I have some reasons… ^_^

  
  

• i am doing a research paper on this topic and from what ive seen there are so many problems with this topic. Why would you give up on something that can help you through life? I Don’t think anyone should give up on going to college, just find what you want to do with your life and go for it

  
  

• I fail at life. I’m dropping out.

  
  

• mari it is amazing what you are doing and i am doing a paper on why students drop out as well. and will do not drop out, i know times get hard but they will be a lot harder without a good education.

  
  

• I’m a returning student — meaning, I dropped out when I was younger but after life kicked the sh*t out of me, I decided to go back.

  I’m in my 3rd year, getting an econ degree. Yes, HS didn’t prepare me at all. The first 2 years of college didn’t prepare me at all. I used to get straight A’s since I was so excited to be back in school… now I study 100% more and can barely pass my classes.

  It’s one thing if you’re born smart. It comes easily. You understand math, you’re golden. But if you don’t, you’re f*cked! And the crap they feed you that you just have to work hard, believe in yourself, set goals, prioritize, blah blah blah — it doesn’t amount to sh*t!

  College is the first step in discrimination. You walk out as either part of the A-Team, or you crawl out realizing you’re part of the B-Team.

  This is what I learned in college.

  
  

• Uncle Mike has a great post .. read it.

  I can relate to a lot of posts. I started as a liberal arts major .. love sociology, psychology and humanities. But burned out after 3 years .. met a girl .. got married .. enlisted in the Army.

  5 years later worked a full time night job to finish my undergrad degree with a wife and 3 small kids. Then went to a “non traditional” school for my Masters.

  Had to take out student loans that I will be paying back until I am 60. But it is worth it.

  There are other guys with out degrees that were working side by side with me in the IT industry. With the “dot com” bubble burst and recent recession most have lost jobs and none of the ones with out degrees have found new IT jobs.
  I have not been laid off yet, in 8 years of a troubled industry. Why .. I’m good at what I do. I have a Masters in my field and a good record of hard work. That “Piece of paper” has saved my butt and got me paid at 99% of those working my field nation wide.

  And here is the kicker… I’d love to go back and get a PhD in cultural anthropology !!

  PS. I’m dyslexic and ADD. So don’t even consider using that crap as an excuse for any thing.!!

  
  

• I’m CONSIDERING taking another path/dropping out. That other path being acting. Here’s the double edged sword: i’ve always wanted to become an actor (just like everyone else) BUT it wasn’t until college that i realized i was good at it and that i will be able to make it my profession. SO, I’m 23 and contemplating dropping out to move to California. I do agree that a degree is meant to show “the world”/future employers that you have the ability to teach yourself but if you need a piece of paper in order for someone to know that, then you must be pretty stupid. or maybe they’re stupid for not being able to see that you can obviously teach yourself things.

  so do i stay or do i go? according to The Clash if i go there will be trouble, but if i stay there will be double. And buddhism says that you should listen to yourself, and i didn’t write that so i can’t take that advice seriously.

  One reason for getting a degree is so that you automatically make more money at certain jobs. I’m majoring in psychology and you can’t really get a job in psychology unless you have a degree, so i’m totally screwing myself with more years. BUT i’m an actor by trade, which is a much riskier path. so i’m not fully committed yet but, i might stay in school to have a degree so i can make enough money to support myself while i’m a struggling actor. and its not the workload or the monotonie (i mean that’s what rivers, parties, and vacations are for) that’s making me want to drop out, its the fruitlessness that seems to be at the end of this tunnel. You know the image of New York stock brokers all migrating toward their offices like drones? that’s what college campus’ are like. and that kind of scares me. if i hadn’t partied so much in my first couple of years i wouldn’t be where i’m at right now. so if you’re going to do it, do it right and do it fast. unless you like stupid college girls, stupid parties, and being surrounded by people full of untapped potential, then take your time.

  
  

• You are ALL so Full of your selves??? College is WAY better than droping out~! GET A LIFE

  
  

• im in college now and i hate it.. im not sure if i want to totally quit or what i would like to do.. but its really stressful and i cant seem to prioritize..

  
  

• Here’s what happened to me. I went into college ten years ago with bright hopes and big dreams and tons of ambition. The first time I had to leave was because I fell ill with a chronic illness. After I recovered a couple years later, I went back. I did a successful semester, then was kicked out due to being “academically suspended”. I had not even been told I was probation. This was because of having to leave suddenly the first time. I left that college and never went back. I transfered to the local Community College. It turned out to be the worst college in the state–that’s what the profs themselves said. But I was desperate to get any degree to prove I’m smart. I didnt want to be the “idiot” cleaning toilets at McDonalds. So I pushed myself. Over and over and over. To the brink of exhaustion, w my illness flaring up, on no sleep and little food–one math prof seen I was terrible in math and made my life sheer hell a whole semester by constantly picking on me in the class, other students laughing, and I started having panic attacks. Then came bouts of depression, every time I had a bad grade, every time I got only a “B” for a paper I had worked on for a week, every time a prof decided to “criticize’ me. That’s what they call ridicule in college–“constructive criticism” or “critical thinking”. Yet still I pushed on. Ten years, seven semesters in all, the last four sememsters being over the last two years. No one worked harder in college than I did. And I noticed that the harder I worked, the worse everything got–grades, relationships, my health, absoultely everything. This semester was 100% hell. It started with a prof giving trouble because I didnt understand how to do one of her group assignments and she wouldnt clarify it, then I made the mistake of taking West Civilization with a prof that got his jollies off of being EXTREMELY graphic about certain historical things, then in that class another student started harassing me, and I wound up having to withdraw from that class. I had to spend a lot of time working on another math course, plus taking a horrible math lab that was required with it, and I had to spend all last month sitting in the math lab for the required 25 hours because I got a jury summons for April 27th. If u dont do the hours in the lab, then they make u retake the math course, even if u pass it. It is nothing but legalized robbery. The majority of the profs I’ve had have been very horrible–they either bitch about their jobs all day or they show you movies that u could have stayed at home and watched. Few profs I had actually did their job. Then, there was a exhibit about how unsafe the campus is, which I stumbled upon between classes one day. But I still was determined to get this degree, even though I wasn’t sleeping more than four hours a night and eating maybe two meals a day if I was lucky. Then, on May 1, I had a full-blown nervous breakdown. It was really horrifying. I wasnt on the campus when it happened, but I still had a week of classes-FINALS!-to get thru. I was completely wrecked emotionally, mentally, and physically. I didnt eat a meal for a week;what sleep I had was filled with nightmares;and it was the hardest thing in the world to pull myself out of bed each morning. I failed my math final because I couldn’t concentrate; I got “D”s in two other courses because I couldn’t finish them, I couldn’t function. I finally managed to try to get therapy and medication to control the panic attacks and depression. I feel much better today only because of the Lord. It was the blackest time of my life–I felt like all my dreams were gone. I’m in my thirties now, and when I look back at these ten years in college all I can say is that it was a waste. If its great for u, fine, lucky u. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me. If I could do it all over again, I would never have entered college, I’d been happy to clean the toilets in McDonalds. College drove me to the gates of Hell. I wouldnt encourage a child of mine to try it. The worst thing for me was the discouragement. I went into college so driven, so positive, so ambitious–I came out of it a damaged woman with a broken spirit and ruined self-esteem. It will take me several months if not years to recover from this. As for u judgemental people who call us college drop-outs whiny babies, someday one of your kids may go thru what we’ve went thru. Of course, you’ll have a different opinion then if it’s your child having a nervous breakdown.

  
  

• Funny how the people telling others to stay in college, can’t even spell “dropping” right?

  # J hue Says:
  April 29th, 2009 at 8:43 am

  You are ALL so Full of your selves??? College is WAY better than droping out~! GET A LIFE

  
  

• Some words of wisdom for anyone still thinking about dropping out:

  “If you’re going to let one prick ruin your life, then you’re not the girl I thought you were.”
  –Legally Blonde

  One day the economy will change for the better. Will YOU be ready?

  
  

• I have been attending an online college for 6 months now at the UOP and I can’t even get a teacher to return my phone call. They don’t give a rats ass if you make it or not. I have been thrown into a class that I do not comprehend and I can’t get anyone to help me to understand it. It costs 9,000.00 to attend and I am livid over the fact that they leave you on your opw here. I am going to seek an attorney to find out what I can do about this if anything. I am sick to my stomach everytime I go to there website and see my grades go down further and further because I dont comprehend the week before, so how do they expect me to understand the next or the next. This is a sad story for me to tell and I am a single dad with an 8yr old boy who also suffers. F$%@# UOP

  
  

• Missing 12: Got tired of life.

  
  

• Prior to getting a loan ask yourself is it really worth x$$$$ after graduation cause it must be paid right away. I Are you ready to put aside having fun with friends on the weekends so you are able study and catch up on school work? Is it worth the pressure, stress and education competition among classmates? Those are important questions one must ask prior to the pressure of college. If you aint ready or have no answers then take sometime for yourself to discover what you want to do with your life so you won’t be wasting your money,efforts and motivation or else you will be a frustrated adult.

  
  

• I am an immigrant from cuba and i never failed a class in my life until i went to an american college . It was not the english because i learn it fast but it was rather the disengaging content , boring non motivational environment , and disrespectful teachers that made learning for me , useless, making my grades go down and fail some classes , the only thing that keeps me from dropping out is the fear of ending up working in some lame place for minimum wage . It should be easy for me because in cuba education is harder and we had to memorize the entire books and write endless paragraphs for each simple question that in the united states its just a matter of choosing the right letter from a multiple choice quiz/test. I feel frustrated right now.

  
  

• Yeah, so I went to college under the premise that if I graduated I’d make more money with a degree than only a H.S. Diploma. Major #1…..music. It only took a month before I realized academic music is garbage that only stiffs pursue. Major #2….history. This subject interested me greatly at the time, but it was only a fallback major until I made up my mind what I really wanted to do after the music fiasco. Major #3….business. I got so bored with business I quit halfway through the semester and moved back home for a few months broke, depressed, and slightly suicidal.

  After several months of dwelling in my basement bedroom, I decided to pick myself up again and start over, except this time along a ‘smart’ road. After my college odyssey, I reflected upon many of life’s fundamental questions and came to the conclusion I’d be happiest in a job where I actually did something worthwhile rather than sitting behind a desk all day with a pencil and piece of paper (umm, guess we use computers today haha).

  I took up one of the great trade skills – apprenticed careers that are both more secure and better paying than most jobs requiring degrees. I now make $75k a year, have a wonderful family, and know how to do stuff myself rather than calling a plumber/electrician/carpenter to do simple tasks like unclogging the sink.

  My point is that college isn’t for everyone. There are other paths to follow, and just because you don’t go to or drop out of college it doesn’t mean you’ll be cleaning toilets at Mcdonalds the rest of your life. Yes, you’ll need some secondary training beyond high school to get a decent job, but that training can include more than the broken record message “go to college.”

  
  

• Well after a year of college I feel like I should just drop out. The main reason is lack of direction. I just don’t know what I want to be and if I choose something like a psychology major I don’t think it’ll be worth becoming in debt and idk. It seems like if you don’t choose something substantial to major in like engineering or medicine it just isn’t worth it. I feel like it will be better for me to work for my dad and work myself up maybe to his position of earning 75g’s a year. What do you guys and gals think?

  
  

• I dropped out of college for two simple reasons:

  1. I lacked the money

  2. I lacked the mental capacity and/or motivation to finish

  In high school, I never thought much about college but my mother convinced me to enroll in a local, community college, where I spent 2 years. I didn’t earn a degree but I eventually transferred to a private 4 year school in my state. It was absolutely horrible and definitely not worth the money! In between dropping and failing a host of classes due to boredom and anxiety issues, I didn’t really accomplish much.

  I wanted to drop out early in my college career, but the pressure from my family and the fear of never finding a well paying job kept me enrolled, even though I knew I didn’t belong there. I think it’s wrong to “scare” people into going to college, because that fear leads many students to waste precious time and money when they could be doing something way more constructive with their time.

  Let’s get real guys. People make too many excuses for our trashy educational system. Why do I need to take a foreign language and other pointless courses in order to earn a degree in Economics? Why can’t I just take the classes I need?

  Let’s face it. If you major in something like Engineering, Computer Science or any other discipline that teaches you practical skills, then having a degree will likely pay off in the future. But if you’re a liberal arts major(and you don’t plan on going to some kind of professional school when you graduate)then college is a waste of time for most people.

  
  

• I was unprepared and without the support I needed. I went there ready to learn, I got really good grades but I couldn’t fit in. Also I was doing pot at the time (thankfully I quit). It also didn’t help that I have Bi-Polar disorder. I really want to go back to college but this time I want to have the support and preparedness that I was so desperately lacking.

  
  

• College to me at a traditional level was not a valuable experience. I then dropped out after my first year. It has been almost 5 years since I attended my 1st college and I do not have a good job, steady income or a chance for success in the finanacial aspect of my life.

  I am now attending an online college where I have learned a significant amount of valuable knowledge. Some bash online schools but I personally have had a great,amazing experience here so far. I know college will allow me to have the lifestyle I want and provide me with the requirements to have a career doing what I love, not something I am forced to do to make money. I want to work as a substance abuse counselor and with a college education this will be possible. A college degree will allow me to have a career that I am passionate about. It will allow me to successfully change the world and substantially impact people’s lives.

  I believe if you are attending a school that is more worried about money, football, ridiculing students, and has poor professors that lack taching requirements you have chosen a poor school and you should transfer asap. My online college caters to people that work full time, have families and other things that require attention in their lives, my advisor helps me with time management and scheduling my classes appropriately. Not too mention all the other helpful features they offer such as learning labs that offer free tutoring,an amazing vast library,and labs that offer remedial skills training. They also provide help with microsoft programs such as Word,and Excel and Learning Labs that provide English, writing,and Apa help. Also chat sessions with librarians, instructors,technical support, advisors, financial aid, admissions, academics, and career services that allow you to privately asks questions, voice concerns, get info on problems of almost any matter including tasks or assignments, get help with computer problems and just chat if needed.

  My college is very helpful and I know that earning a degree will be imperative to my career and my success in the future. I will finish my bachelors degree in november 2011 and I first started this college in May 09. I did not transfer any college credits but I am on an advanced program which means I complete two classes every 5.5 weeks.IAt this time I have a 4.0 GPA because I study hard and dedicate certain time to studies. The tasks and assignments are difficult and challege me daily.

  My online college is fully accredited which is important when selecting an online school. I would advise anyone who wants to attend college but would not enjoy a traditional setting to check out online colleges. Yes, the cost is higher but it is definitely worth it because they cater specifically to your needs helping you in any situation along the way. From financial aid advisors to your class advisor, every professional helps you along the way from filing your fafsa to get money for school to choosing an academic program that bests suits your individual needs.

  College is a critical aspect of your life. It helps develop and round you as a whole because you meet different wordly individuals and allows you to socially interact. Choose a school that best suits each aspect of you; from your ability to pay, your schedule, your time you can devote to study, class size, what resources the school has to help you, and the time frame in which you can complete your degree program.

  If the college is not working find one that does and transfer. Your education is one of the mot important things in your life. It impacts almost every daily activity from banking, to reading, to family life. Earning a degree will significantly influence your children’s choices to attend college also, this creates a positive tradition for generations to come.

  There are many more reasons to enhance your life by choosing college. The choise is yours alone. Will you choose financial security for you and your family or choose the uncertainity that comes from a minimum wage job?

  Check out many different colleges before deciding. Compare and contrast each one. Talk to students from each college about what positively and negatively affects them daily. There are various resources that can aid you in your choice so utilize them. Take the time to call and chat with professionals from each school. Go over and see the campus or check out the online webpage. If you are choosing the online route most importantly see of the institution is accredited and the accreditation is acceptable in your home state or the state in which you plan to work. The accreditation issue is especially complicated so take the extra time to look in to the details..

  When you enroll and start your first set of classes take the time to study. Don’t overload yourself with academics that you have trouble with. I learned from experience that doubling up my classes is not always the best solution to graduating quickly. I had to study extremely hard and work extra everyday in order to achieve the grades that I desired. I passed the two classes which were American Gov and English Comp with an A grade but it was not easy. Many people think that online institutions are easier or just simply easy. That is not the truth,. Online colleges may in-fact be harder because they require more interaction between professors and students to learn. Reading of the course books and matierials are essential which many students do not enjoy. You cannot learn and fully comprehend the subjects if you do not read the proper materials.

  Online education, which is often referred to as distance learning, has had many opinions and untruthful statements accused of it. It is your chioce alone to form your opinion of online colleges. College may not be for some people but you can always find ways to make it work for you! Only schedule classes one or two days a week (if applicable) Only take one class at a time if you are extremely busy. Choose courses that have a good student to professor ratio. The less students in class the more time the professor has to focus on you. The main idea that I am trying to get across to you is that college can work for everyone. There are various programs and types of schools to chose from and you should compare and contrast each one. Take your time to choose what is right for you but do not wait to the last minute to apply for loans and other means of paying for college.

  College is a great experience and you havce access to many important educational features. Take full advantage of everything your college has to offer because whether you know it or not- you are paying for it! Learn about student loans, the FAFSA and all means of paying for school. This can be a significant part of why people do not go to college. There are numerous scholorships and grants available for various people such as grants for mothers,ethnic backgrounds and 1st time college applicants in families. Research is key when finding out information about payments.

  Overall, college is what you make of it! Do not let friends,professors, or anyon else deter you from accomplishing your goals and dreams. In today’s society high school diplomas are not sufficient; employers require college degrees and many times a Bachelors or a masters. Please give college a chance because it can significantly change your life for the better. I know college has made a major impact on my life, not just the mounting amount of money I owe, but it has broadened my worldly views, gave me new experiences, new friendships and will give me a chance to have a better lifestyle.

  I look forward to be the first in my family to ever graduate from college! It will definitely be an achievement and hopefully will create a tradition for my daughter to follow! Good luck in college everyone. Thanks~Brandi B

  
  

• well i agree with every ONE . yep college is really hard but i am still coping so far. Since im the first one in my family to be in college i want to achieve my dream to graduate and get my degree and honours and make my family proud of me.I just want to prove to myself that i am not a failiar and that i will not drop out even though 1st semester was hard and i faild 2 modules but i know that the way to success is through hardships and failiar is a steping stone to success. Good luck to all you people in college and varsity. Remember that hard work never killed anyone, it only makes you sronger. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

  
  

• I see both sides of the problem, but whats sad is my dad will make damn near twice as much money as I would coming out of college. With the degree on the piece of paper. Which is pathetic. Some people just need a break, so take a semester or two off. College is a grind and for some people they just need to take the time off. My friend who is one of the smartest guys in my class had to take a year off because he was worn out and it showed in his grades. He was put on academic probation. For others congrats on passing. I agree with the statement that High school is too lax with study habits. Most students dont even know how to take proper notes!!!! (me beign one of them) For most people the first semester is a eye opener that maybe the school or college just isnt the thing for them. FOr some the workplace is the best. But the 2 most BS statements about college is the horrible cost of books, of which half the time you dont even need, you pay $500 for books and half the time you dont even get 1/5th payback and the BS gen ed. I want to go to college and study my degree in history. Not learn about macro economics or music apriciation. I really dont see how supply and demand really tie into History. Take out the horrible costs of living in the dorms and the BS costs of books and let the students study for there actual degree and there would be a heck of lot more turn out for college. Thats my two cents

  
  

• I goto school in louisiana which isn’t the best education. I would rather save money then waste it on not learning anything of pratical use in the field that i would like to go into

  
  

• The reason I dropped out was because I made a mistake in choosing a major and the degree I want is somewhere else so… goodbye.

  
  

• First day back at college for me tommorrow, totally not looking forward to it, dont fit in at all, all my friends there have either dropped out or been thrown out (due to lack of work). I always think ‘what am i doing here?’. underprepared for the amount of studying eveyday, and this course seems pretty pointless anyway. i dont want to continue with this for a carrer total waste of time i think. i could be making more money and having more fun outside of college.

  
  

• I just started my first year at johnson & wales university, and I’m 2 weeks in. I really do not like it. like many people, I was misled at orientation, and I fell in love with the school then, but as soon as I moved in and started going to classes I knew it just wasnt for me. i live about an hour and half away and plan on going home every weekend until I transfer. I am already planning on taking a 2 year program in culinary arts at a community college back at home. The economy has changed so much since i applied to JWU, and I know I will be thousands of dollars and debt. This school is $22,000 a year which honestly isnt that bad compared to some others, but still I could get the same education for much less elsewhere. I honestly cant wait to get out of here. and i agree with the last post, i am constantly asking myself “what am I doing here?” and it sucks.

  
  

• Ive been goin for a couple of semesters changing my majors each semester because I wanted 2 do something in video games. closest thing they had was graphic design which u draw pretty much nd some computer courses. U can do all the animation on the computer so i dont need 2 draw. Then went into digital animation. still had 2 draw. Someone else gets paid for that job. counselors give u advice like ya u need 2 take this class blah blah. Uhm counselor what did u want 2 be when u were a teenager. I thought so u didnt want 2 be a counselor lol nd look where ur life ended up

  
  

• Try getting falsely arrested by the FBI, missing 6 of 10 weeks of classes including midterms and finals, getting put on academic probation(essentially being booted out of school), not getting a refund for said classes, and nobody, not even the Deans, giving 2 squirts of piss about what happened. Do what you love…and I for sure did not love this college.

  
  

• Number 86, Allyx, I totally agree with you. College is not for everyone. There are 300 million people in the United States. Do you think that they ALL go to college and live happy lives? Hell no. College is a choice, and it is up to the American, who has the damn right to drop out or not go to college if they want. Get a job, work, and find what makes YOU happy. Don’t worry about your parents, your friends, or your mentors. Worry about yourself. Only once you are happy can others around you be happy. I plan on dropping out, so call me ignorant, call me pathetic, call me what you will, but in the end, what you say does not matter. In the end, if I am happy, then I need nothing else. Call that selfish, but I call it peace of mind.

  
  

• Well, I got kicked out for making a peephole in the dorm next door. You can guess what happened after that…

  
  

• Well, I didn’t get any on-campus job here in Cameron University. I am a International student, and job is vital for me to maintain my future financial requirement. I guess the university is not hiring any international students knowingly, despite of laking the employees there. To me its not a good policy, I have got the feeling of transfering from this university….

  
  

• I dropped out because it really cut into my work schedule, and I needed the hours in order to make enough money to pay the onslaught of bills that my bitch of a mother has forced upon me. 400 dollars/month rent WHILE IM IN SCHOOL, 200 dollars electricity (WHILE IM IN SCHOOL), cell phone (EVEN THOUGH I CANCELLED MY PHONE ON HER PLAN AND GOT MY OWN WHICH I HAVE TO COVER IN ADDITION TO THE OLD ONE, STILL). That’s just the basics. I also got sick of taking all of these general education courses which I don’t need, and would rather just go straight into my major. So f… college; I’m going to hit up a trade school, get my cert in 6 months, and be done with education.

  
  

• I seem to find college to be a bit ridiculous with all these requirements to move into your major. I always had the mindset to go to college, but now I’m just bummed out because of math. I have put so much effort in studying, tutoring and cannot do it… It really makes me angry that for a business major you have to take things like stats, calc, finite math, etc..The truth is these subjects are irrelevant to a business degree.. I think I’m going to drop out because I’m sick of wasting my time and money when a trade could provide a decent financial path. These colleges really need to reorganize and get with the real world, BASIC MATH is all you need to succeed. I find the system is set up to fail the student, so they can suck the money out of you.

  
  

• I have found a few of those to be true. I enlisted in college to be able to work in my field of choice but alos to leave the unemployment constraints of the county I live in. Due to the high unemployment conditions of my area the average manager, boss or supervisor, is a narcissistic, ego maniacial abusive control freaks. Theres nothing you can do because you are met with an attitude that if you dont like it you can go somewhere else. Fact is there is no where else to go. I dont fit in with the people I go to adult college with, because I did not fit in with them when I went to highschool.
  There is minimal support from the teachers and even talk of that they are going to siphon people out just like they selected them to come in. The prgram I went for and got into was very competitive just like the jobs around here. If they do not like you it becomes dirty really quick

  
  

• All of the above rings true for me, too.
  I once brought up a case of a teacher knowingly talking about a subject they knew nothing about (but hey, they had a doctorate, so they *MUST* know their stuff) to the student government, then through the agonizingly slow process of getting it recognized by people with actual power until the whole thing reached the dean months later. Who then gave his official stamp of approval to the teacher in the belief that it prepared them for the real world.

  Pretty smart throughout school, got good grades, was told college was a place to learn. So far the only thing I’ve learned here is that tenured professors, regardless of the politics they profess, are some of the most scum-sucking individuals in the system.

  
  

• I agree with #99:

  “I hope people understand that not everyone who leaves college is stupid or lazy. We have illnesses, whether physical or otherwise, family problems or lack of financial means. It sucks.”

  
  

• Im in college but considering ‘dropping out’ because the whole semester I have not learnes anything new.Im an emergency dispatcher and make $15 an hour.Most people I know with B.S.’s start out making that with thounds to pay back on loans..im seriously thinking of getting my EMT-P and forgetting about college.

  I’m not a big party animal and hate drinking/smoking.so there goes my social life lol.serriously.they have a party every single night! I have always beenkind of a loner and don’t need friends.

  I have a math prof. (Who has a PH.D) who makes more errors than I do.An english prof. Who spends the whole class saying in some form or another ‘I don’t care if you pass or fail,I get paid anyways’. A nutrition prof. who knows nothing of nutrition (she didn’t know protien renders 4 cal. Per gram-BASICS).

  College canbe good but I don’t see the need to kill myself for a piece of paper saying im able to learn. I have a library card and use it a LOT!

  My $0.02

  
  

• I just started a state university a month ago. The course work is decent.

  College is what you make of it. If you REALLY want that degree, you will work your ass off to get it. One theme that has reoccured time and time again on these posts are people dropping out only to come back years later. Now what does that say? Obviously, it says that college is definitely IMPORTANT and opens up many job opportunities that pay higher salaries.

  But then again, college is NOT for everyone. I have an older brother who attended the same uni I attend, but he dropped out. He is now making good money as a truck driver.

  
  

• I think college is a waste of time and money.It cost over 30,000 to up to almost 50,000 a year.Everything about college costs money.When you try to call the registers or finicail office they never pick up the phones.Finicial aid office drops you from your classes if you dont pay on time.Plus,genearl ed classes are just a waste of time for certian degress such as film majors and theater.College is mosty for those who are going for law,medicine,engineering,teaching and even the science field.I have been going to college for four years now.I went to CCRI for three years and transfered to Jacksonville university for one year.When i got there I had to take most of the same classes again and I was considered a fresmen again.I should have been graduated by now.I plan to take my college tuition money and move to los angeles to pursue a career in Stand Up Comedy.I spent more of my time doing stand up comedy acts than taking test.I even did a stand up while making fun of the school I was attending and I came in first place.I have been doing stand up comedy for a year now and I think thats a better way to get a degree.I’m also taking my college money to take a couple voice over lessons to become a voice actor.I even started a voice over business on campus but the school didnt approve it so i couldnt do it anymore.Thats why moving to Los Angeles is more important than getting a college degree.I was kicked out of college classes for doing cartoon impressions.The professors said I wasent acting like a college student.I couldnt even get my money back from being kick out classes that I payed for.I cant get pay more money than doing voice over and stand up comedy than having a college degree.College is just a huge waste of time and money.

  
  

• I have just started a community college in colorado and i am overwhelmed with all the homework. I almost never had homework in high school. I am only going for two years and all these people that are going to a four year college or more are making it sound like its not even worth it. Currently I dont want to drop out but it is looming over my head because of all the stupid stuff in college.

  
  

• Most of the general arguments against college are severely flawed. A lot of you need to get your priorities straight. I mean you honestly think that just because you have a lot of homework you should drop out of college? I agree it is the American way of life! When things get hard we Americans quit!After all, it is the way we roll! Stop your bitching and realize the reason why you fail is because of YOU not because of your professor.

  Now, a lot of you complain that you can’t pay for it. OK, that is a legit argument. If you value your current monetary value and not what it could be in the future, go you! I notice many of you just seem to be immature children who most likely thought college was going to be a mirror to American Pie.

  YOU ARE IN COLLEGE GROW THE F*** UP AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR LACK OF SELF CONFIDENCE.

  
  

• Personally i dont like college what so ever i think its a waste of time. but i also think that if your currently in college you should stay because these days its nearly impossible to get a job without a degree. yes money is tight but life isnt supposed to be easy. and besides after college its not like you ever have to come back or anything. if you can make it through 12 years of school you can do a few more its no the end of the world.

  
  

• F… College, i attend a 4 year course and after 5 year and half i’m still not graduating. I decided to stop this nonsense. The teacher are f….ing corrupt, lying bastard, forcing me to memorize complete nonsense word, after 5 year,i still haven’t learned a damn thing! The teacher can go f… themselves up. I’m trying to contact a work agency, trying to find a job.

  
  

• I am on the community college librarycomputer right. I say I feel like ido’t fit in,they are packing me with way too much homework and i wasunprepared to begin with. to top it off my professor is saying that he is not going to let me quit, and that he is going to guideme until i get both my GED and degree. so i am making a compromise to myself if one morething goes wrong in thiscollege to me and i feel because i am not academically prepared, i will totally quit and be a low life bum

  
  

• I had a horrible high school.
  Teachers literally gave you answers on tests
  and the counselors were never available to talk to students unless it was the manditory time to pick your classes for the next quarter.
  I’m in my first semester now but it’s way too difficult for me.
  I only got in to my college because my father works as a prof there. I should have known I wouldn’t survive.
  And I never go out with friends. I’m always home and studying and I still can’t pass classes.
  I’m going to drop out and either go to a tech school to become a paralegal or a hospital program and become a radiology tech.

  
  

• i am growing tired of the amount of crap they push on you that you don’t really need. i’m learning computer science, and i don’t like how all they do is teach you the old ways of doing things, it takes away from your creativity when all of the assignments have to be exactly like what someone else has already done. I am also haunted by my musical interests, which are being neglected. and the thought that by the time i’m done with college i’ll be a full adult really scares me, life goes so fast.

  
  

• I totally agree with the $$$ vs long term gratification. I been through that and its exactly what happened I worked hours and hours at the job and tried doing the same for school and somewhere in between got lost.

  
  

• I don’t know why its so hard for someone to find out their purpose in life. I’m in College and i thought i could do it but I’m always discouraged i was born here i don’t get financial aid i work full time go to school Full time. I’m not ready i think. Its not that i want someone to hold my hand its just there so much going on in life. In a freshman seminar class that i had to do a self assessment test and do a paper on it and it just hit me that the career that i want to do (physical therapy) maybe isn’t for me, I WANT TO BE A EMT-PARAMEDIC!and also that i really hate everything i mainly stand for but its either this or the military….Honestly Just follow what makes you happy… SO COLLEGE I BID YOU ADIEU XD

  
  

• Okay… the main issue I see is people not doing what they truely want to do because of doubting themselves, or because it’s not what their parents want. People are afraid of “failure” but success does not always mean wealth. I believe success means happiness, if you know you won’t be happy without wealth then great for you, continue college, but some people only seek out happiness, you shouldn’t push your strict ideals on free spirits when they’re already going through mental confliction when trying to decide where THEIR future lies. It doesn’t make them stupid if they choose not to pursue college, I think it’s brilliant if they’re doing it to take on a challenge of finding their own success even though it doesn’t fit in with the social normalities. I’m going through this turmoil myself right now, and it’s all about deciding whether I’d be happier with wealth or the job I love, should I continue college? Or should I get started right away on this dream I have? It’s a very brave idea, but it’s all about the individuals path in life and where their hearts are telling them to go. I will think long and hard on my decision before I act impulsively and dump everything I’ve started.

  
  

• I’m currently a fine art major and can’t wait to get out. Tired of being broke, overwhelmed with deadlines and having to answer to boring teachers who are making money on my dime. Don’t get me started about the b-s politics of an administration that has been annually raising the tuition 7% for the past five years. College is government sanctioned piracy and I feel sorry for the next generation of kids who will have to suffer through it. But only a semester and a half to go! A degree looks good no matter what. Will probably end up in the service industry working for AC Moore but whatever, education doesn’t hurt but wastes a lot of time. Sounds crazy but I can’t wait to start working 40 hours a week and getting a check and able to finally feel secure living.

  
  

• I am dropping out of college as soon as I get my AA degree. I was going to go for a sociology BA, but I can’t take the stress and pressure from school and society. If I drop out I am a loser, if I major in an arts field I am a loser that is 30k in debt and can’t find a job with the degree. I would rather take the 17k I have saved up and do something else that isn’t safe. I am also sick of people telling me to work at McDonalds since I am dropping out. F— YOU! Just because you have a degree or are getting one doesn’t mean you are any better than me. So enjoy your degree and your debt when you graduate.

  
  

• I dropped out of college a few months ago after 2 years on my English BA course. I am fairly sure that were I to continue I would have found myself feeling exasperated, trapped, and left with a feeling of pointlessness about the whole affair. I have been battling clinical depression for the past 5 years and by the time I started this course at the age of 21 I had already tried my hand at half a dozen different jobs, lost my father to cancer, traversed the globe, gotten engaged, endured an abortive attempt at emigration to California, talked down my suicidal fiancee from the roof of our apartment building, gotten addicted to and then renounced drugs and briefly attended one of the top three universities in the UK where I live. Needless to say, there was a huge contrast in life experience between my fellow students and I, compounded by the fact that I was studying at an inner-city London university where a lot of the student body were excited to be in the “big city” for the first time, a place which by that time I had come to see as a rife with social deprivation, cross-cultural tension and widespread drug abuse, being a Londoner born and raised, and not a place for “good times” as they saw it.

  In short, I hated university and have never been more miserable than I was during my time there. The lecturers either only seemed to care about getting paid (oh, there was a Starbucks on campus for crying out loud) or stealing ideas for their next book from the collective minds of their adoring students. What I learned was that values such as honesty and sincerity count for nothing in the modern Western society, and that the individuals that pass through the mangle of higher education are more interested in getting what they can for the least effort and playing the career game. I shudder to think that the conceited little twerp that was running for the Student Council might one day be in local government.

  I am looking to train for web design work now, something which I am sure I will find stimulating and exciting, given the democratic potential of the internet for future generations. It seems much more worthwhile than reading Jane Eyre so that some day I can work in a bookshop and vainly opine on the terrible state of modern society with my smug friends at their “delightful” dinner party.

  
  

• Sounds like some people can’t seek a challenge? I hope you guys realize that sooner or later, you will eventually need a degree in something because of the advanced technology which requires more skills to do. Plus, having a degree makes you more applicable and qualified for certain jobs. If there is a certain dream job that you want to do, go to college and build on it and learn more. If your dream job is flipping burgers at McDonalds, then good luck with that.

  
  

• So i currently attend a 4 year school called Medaille College. This place is literally a joke, im not ignorant or trying to put college down, but its to the point where everyone here calls this place Medaille High. The professors are absolutely ridiculous… some talk about their life all day everyday and just give everyone A’s, some are semi decent, and some think that the students that signed up for this college don’t work, don’t have bills, don’t have lives and are passionate about their particular subject. Well im sorry that i work 40 hours a week, and that analytical writing isnt appealing to me when my major is criminaljustice. Im not an idiot, but im not a genius. I am debating as of today whether or not to drop out, leaning more towards dropping out. Just cuz this college isnt for me doesnt mean that college in general isnt for me. I think that going to a smaller community college for a 2year associates is a lot cheaper and a lot smarter. Truth be told i am just not happy, i hate stress and i dont want to deal with this place. I am in a 4 year B.A. degree in criminal justice, and this semester i only have one class for my major. To become a cop, you only need an associates degree, you dont even need a bachelors.

  So kill myself at this 4 year college for 19k a year?
  Or coast along at a small cheap 2 year college, after a year off. You tell me.

  
  

• Honestly, I go to college because my parents make me. Not that i’m interested, i’d rather just live like any normal human being without all the hassel of just getting more money. When it comes down to it, college is really all about the money. My parents think it’s best for me & they say that people who don’t go to college are losers & they even told me what career I should take. Honestly, i’m sick of their stuck up ways. What’s it supposed to prove? that I have an education? I just want to get the hell out of here and be left alone. I’m just not feeling it. what should I do? any advice?

  
  

• I’ve read a lot of the comments on here, and all I gotta say is its a safe bet I’m gonna stay in college. Some advice in my experiences to people currently in a college:

  1. You take the teacher, not the class.

  2. Don’t go unless you actually want to.

  3. Don’t party 24/7

  4. Just study. Its not really that hard.

  5. Discipline… need more be said?

  Now, you don’t have to go to college to live a good life…
  but it can’t hurt.

  
  

• I help students professionally to enter and often re-enter college after they’ve done poorly. The many reasons that some of you posted here for not finishing college are the same ones that I see in my clients. Yes, there are valid reasons why good students don’t finish. For those of you who ran in to health issues, including becoming depressed, etc., know that you can work with that. Don’t give up. I’ve had successful re-entries for students that had problems, so please persist.

  Despite disagreements or gripes about the value of college, or a specific school, the fact remains that there are tangible gains, both financially and socially, to completing a degree. Like many people, I did not finish on a traditional track, and faced the world without a degree. I wouldn’t recommend it. Finishing undergrad and graduate school really changed my life. I was a first-generation student, and had to learn how to do it on my own.

  Students and families aren’t told the facts about college, and often use the wrong strategy when planning. We Americans are obsessed with getting in to college, but in light of graduation rates, we should be focused on finishing college. “Some college” doesn’t count, which is reflected in later earnings. College success, in many ways, hinges on the preparation and planning phases. Please consider these points:

  The U.S. Currently ranks 15th out of 29 developed nations in college graduation rates.

  2009 figures from the U.S. Department of Education show that, on average, only 36% of American students finish a bachelor’s degree in 4 years. 53% take five years, and 58% take six years to complete a 4-year degree. These reflect the students who do finish, and not counting up to the estimated 44% that drop out or never finish. Girls graduate at higher rates than boys, and the lowest 4-year graduation rate is for young men at public universities: Just under 24% finish a degree in 4 years. Private, non-profit colleges have higher graduation rates, but only slightly.

  
  

• College is honestly not for everyone. After 3 1/2 years I have learned more from myself than I have from any of the courses I have taken. Maybe I am just too self motivated to sit through the masses at college and I know that even if I dropout I am still miles ahead of my peers. The only thing that was keeping me in school was my parents forcing it upon me, but now that I have created my own business I am finally perusing my own dreams and doing things my own way. If you have a creative enough mind, and you know you are smart and feel “why am I wasting my time in college” research your other options and way to the choices before you make the decision. If you have 30k of debt built up, it isn’t wise to drop out only to work at a job paying 8$ an hour, you will be living in poverty and working off your loans the rest of your life. On the other hand, if you have a set list of skills, look to the market and find your true calling. Not everything requires a college degree and sometimes passion and drive is all a person needs to succeed in this crazy world. Don’t fall victim to the idea that you absolutely need college, although this philosophy should be applied to the majority, there still does indeed have to be a minority. If you have brains and can use them outside of college, just do it… it is as plain and simple as that.

  
  

• Im in my second year of college im seriously thinking of droppin out.I’m actually a good student and I’ve passed all my classes, but its just too expensive and they make me take all this useless classes that have nothing to do with my major, and I’m just wasting money and time with those classes. It sucks man.

  
  

• After reading so much ,I think should say something . i’m a chinese college student . and now i’m preparing to drop out of my recent school cause i think the school’s administration is really a s..t ! They don’t ever think about the students , they just think about the money ! Holys..t ! And it needs me almost 100,000 RMB to finish my college and just in order to get an useless diploma ! NO ! i’m not gonna do this fucking stupid thing. So now i’m to prepare the TOEFL and SAT . I think that i have to get both high scores in TOEFL & SAT in order to apply to the colleges of USA . And hope that i could also gain the scholarship . OH ! God Bless Me ！

  
  

• I am in college right now and i just had a baby boy. I dont have no one to watch him so I cant go back school and it is really hard but I will like to go back to school…. I will ask my mom to watch him so I can go back to school…. We need some help and some one to talk to when we are a haveing a problem like this….

  
  

• Im dropping out of college because of soaring costs and the sudden realization that college is nothing more than a business draining every student of money and time. The problem is that there are toooo many people going college. And unfortunately many of them will or already ending up debt. And one major problem I find with my classmates is that many DO NOT know what major they should pick, so they get stuck in the system, never getting out and feeding money to these “schools” and for what , a f…ing piece of paper???

  Im sick of it all, Im sick of the deception, and Im sick of the zombies who say college is beneficial. F… it all, Im going to a trade school. College is for the birds.

  
  

• i dropped out of college after 3 and a half years it was the best decision of my entire life i hated the bullshit. the only reason why i went to college was because i waspresssured to go, i hated my major and after 3 years of the bullshit i was clinicaly depressed. now i have been out of college for 3 years. im an electrician im engaged and currently buying a house. if you dont like college DROP OUT NOW! dont waste your time for a stupid useless peice of paper!

  
  

• I come from a family where my father is very dominant, and I ended up dropping out of college in my first year since I was very depressed and discouraged. I had worked hard for years in high school to get into a good art school, got in there much easier than most people did that year, and wasn’t allowed to go because my father didn’t think that it was important, and my mother couldn’t be bothered to stand up to him. That year I felt very alone, especially seeing my classmates at the same university I was attending, being enthusiastic and succeeding. So much crap happened in my life that year, I felt myself on a nervous breakdown several times. Now I’m 21 and starting over from scratch, while my classmates are all graduating this year. It’s a great feeling.

  
  

• I am going in myrd year of college. As I was signing up for classes, I was asking myself the whole time “What the F&ck does this have to do with my majo?” I have to take intro to psych, Rock Formations (wtf??), history to the 1500, u.s. government…My major is International Economics and Chinese…

  I feel like college isn’t doing anything for me. My professors don’t care if I understand, fail or pass. They don’t want to see you in their offices for help even thoughthe post office hours.

  I am pressured to go to college though, because if I don”t go I’ll have to work at Burger King for the rest of my life.

  I just want to drop out and do what I want to do. I want to ,ove to a different country, maybe tteach English, but rrally, I want to help people. The only reason my major is International Econ is cause it’s the ony international major in my college.

  I wish we were in better economic times…so I could make it on my own right now..

  
  

• I am currently a senior in college and could disagree more with almost all of these people who are putting down college because they couldn’t make it. Teachers shouldn’t have to force you to learn anything and most of they are extremely intelligent. People who complain that high school doesn’t prepare you have no one to blame but themselves. College teaches you a work ethic and responsibility. Having a degree gives you a very big advantage in the business world. For those of you applying for a job with no degree sorry to break it to you someone who has a degree is going to get the job, so it’s clearly not useless. Also saying that students out of college often need training for their new jobs is a obvious statement, of course they do. If they are not going to a trade school they are not going to know everything the job entails, but they will have a work ethic and though their education they are going to be better at taking instructions and figuring things out of their own which is what college teaches you. Being able to figure things out on your own is something every job requires and is what college prepares you for. No, college is not easy and it shouldn’t be. Teachers are not going to hold your hand and walk you through everything and neither is your boss.
  Just because people are lazy and will try to find excuses about why college is so bad is an opinion, look at the facts of the average salary for a college graduate and a high school graduate. Also you can meet someone of your best lifetime friends and create social networks which will only benefit you in the future.

  
  

• i have nothing original being said. Except the fact that you all need to read Sinclair Lewis and his views of society.

  Although, I do have a couple of spins on some rather brutal “suggestions,” from the above commentators.

  College isn’t about anything. It is just a place where you are supposed to get thrown in water and survive.

  I think it is ridiculous. I think the students are severely underemployed on purpose, and I think that college is designed to make people FAIL: “be broke, and pay for something that you don’t have time to pay for or time to study for either, and be successful!”

  I have a couple of reasons why I think the system is designed for 3 out of 300 to survive. The first idea is because councelors aren’t there to help you, they are there to get bread and butter. Secondly, it is not there to bring out your gifts, it is there to make you feel meaningless. They don’t care about you, they care about your paycheck, even worse: because there really isnt much money to be made, so not only are you not getting a good education but your diet consists of food that pigs don’t even eat, and then they scream louder: “perform, perform!”

  College is severely lacking and I think, they have no one to laugh at but themselves. Trust me, it isn’t you- it is those people that walk around telling you how right they are, those people that designed the system..

  So tell me, how right are they?

  Katie.

  
  

• Ps for the above commentator (106)
  its really awesome that college worked out for you, but just keep in mind bully, the world doesn’t revolve around you, and sooner or later you will fail, and when you do, I hope someone is sitting there telling you that your “work ethic” needs some help- have some compassion because obviously you are a blubbering idiot, and learned nothing about the humanities.

  Get over yourself.

  
  

• At first, I never study because I don’t really like my major. I chose it just because my parents suggest me to take that when I can’t think of any other major. I spent all my time having fun and failed in most of my classes. I recently got dismissed from my college last week and just now I realized I’ve wasted everything — precious life God’s given to me, my parents’ money and hardwork, great opportunities I once had, and two years that I could never get back. I really regret what I did. I wrote letter of appeal but the advisors still said “no”. I kept emailing them and haven’t got reply yet, so I still attend my classes just in case they give up and let me stay. I hope I could get one last chance, just this time, to correct my mistakes…

  
  

• I went to college because it was expected of me to go, and the fear that if you don’t go, you will have no future. Currently, I’m in school and the future hasn’t looked any bleaker. My GPA is a 0.6, I’m on probation and they stripped me of all of my scholarships. For me, I honestly didn’t mind taking classes that didn’t apply to my major, because I feel that you can always gain valuable knowledge from anything, and that if you have the opportunity to get knowledge, you should take it. The professors were very nice, and the assignments were fairly easy but the crux of the matter was why was I there? For me, I feel that with self-discipline, you could attain knowledge by yourself, so why slosh out so much money?Even with the speech that it’s an investment in the future, I have absolutely no clue in where I was going; I felt it was pointless to waste so much money and time in not having a specific goal in mind.

  Long story short, I agree with everyone who believes that you should follow your own path. If you feel that college is best for you, then pursue it. If you feel that you should focus on other matters (i.e trade school, self-study, etc.) then go for it. No matter what choice you make, there will always be consequences but you have to realize that at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself and the choices you made, and either be proud or disgraced. You can let down a million people but you should never let down yourself. Time is simply too precious for tom-foolery, so do what’s right.

  For me, I think I made a poor decision in going straight into college. I shouldv’e waited at least a semester to intern or volunteer to figure myself out first. I had enough money saved up to have gotten my own apartment, and even if I decided to stay at home, I couldv’e used this time to evaluate what course I would like to take with my life, or what I want out of it. This school wasted my time and instead of enlightening me, sucked my soul out of my body (I fell into a depressive state from the start, and now am working with a therapist) and sucked my money from my bank account. Now the spring semester is about to start, and I still need to work up the courage to make that decision to stay or to leave. With all major decisions in life, I need to tread lightly (though it’s pretty obvious, GET THE F*** OUT OF THERE!!)

  
  

• I’m currently at college. I dropped out of school at 15, and spent ten years kicking myself for it. Then I went to college. All problems solved – I have no self-blame whatsoever left.

  However, I am wasting upwards of £15k this year on SH*T ALL while earning nothing, and doing nothing to set myself up for the future.

  The college has more concern for the bottom line than for the welfare or development of its students.

  It is happy however, to show support for the students, as long as they toe the line and conform.

  College is ANYTHING BUT a place where you can think for yourself. Beaurocracy rules here.

  College is 1. A socialization process designed to finish of the process school started off in creating good little wage slaves.

  And 2. A route into work – since nowadays people can’t generally get a job without it.

  Interestingly, being at college feels just like being back at school, and school, believe it or not was invented to keep the working classes quiet, not for education.

  I had a life and a career. Now, I have a headache. I am only here to stop relatives from giving me grief over quitting. And when I do quit (which will happen) I won’t be employing people with degrees, I’ll be employing people who can prove they’re good at, and keen on what they do.

  And for what it’s worth, no, I’m not another one saying “those grapes were sour” I was – and am – a straight A student.

  
  

• Some students drop out because all the damn classes are full. I hope I don’t spend the next 2 years of my life taking classes just because they’re the only ones available.

  
  

• I agree with 34 . In IT the only thing that counts and is what employers want is experience. In college they just teach you old stuff that nobody uses in the real world. Sometimes work teaches you a lot more than college . I also agree with someone who said that sometimes you can learn a lot more by studying by yourself and not by instuctors in college.

  
  

• its because they cant handel adult hood.

  
  

• the whole world is full of shit. if you don’t have a college degree they wanted it, and if you have a college degree they don’t hire or pay you a little bit above the minimum wage.
  i think college is big piece of shit that everyone fight for and at the end everyone got a little piece of shit and it sting like hell.

  
  

• You People Are Stupid. I Graduated From NIU, And I Make Over $80,000 A Year. Just Do Your Homework, And You Will Make It.

  
  

• I’m not even sure college is worth the investment today. Wall St. Journal just published an article that said the difference in earnings between college dropouts and college graduates is miniscule. I wrestled with the decision for 2.5 half years and finally decided to make a decision. I dropped out. I think the most important thing is to make sure you have a system in place that will take the place of college.

  Dropping out didn’t mean that I was able to stop learning. I love learning, just not in the college atmosphere, which I was paying $6,500 per semester to be in.

  It’s important to have clear goals in mind if you decide to drop out. Don’t just drop out and wander, drop out with a plan. It’s turned out to be the best decision of my life so far. Not one regret.

  Tyler

  
  

• I have read alot of the comments in regards to students dropping out of college. Amazingly, I find the majority to be fairly accurate.

  Currently, I am in my third year of studies at a public college in New York state. I am 31 years old. About 13 years ago, I attended a private business college. I was not prepare for college when I graduated from high school back in 1996. I ended up dropping out in the middle of my second semester.

  I enlisted into the Armed Forces where I proudly served for almost seven years. Afterwards, I held several jobs where I was barely making any income (let alone makeing ends meet).

  In August of 2007, I went back to school to pursue a degree in Business Management. I decided to go back to school for a few reasons. First, I had the passion and determination to obtain an Associate degree. Second, my goals were to finish four years of college and continue into the workforce hoping that I may land a decent paying job. And last, I’ve always wanted to be college educated.

  During my time in the military, I always thought about what life would be had I stayed and completed my courses at the private college that I was attending.

  In May 2009, I graduated from the C.C. I was attending with honors. In September 2009, I began studying my major which is Health Care Management via online courses.

  I can honestly say that life w/o post-secondary education is really hard unless you have some good networking associates. I have always believed that the only ones who are able to succeed in life w/o a college education are those who are in the entertainment industry (actors/musicians/athletes) or business minded individuals (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Ralph Lauren).

  However, if you don’t find yourself in the attributes of entertainment or business minded entrepreneurs, than your best bet is to obtain a college degree as it is the one source to land you a decent paying job.

  Yes, college is not for everyone. However, I believe the ones who drop out of school are the ones who did not plan out, nor made the COMMITMENT in achieving their educational goals.

  Hopefully, by April 2011, I will be walking up the podium and have recieve something I’ve always wanted…a Bachelors degree.

  
  

• I have all A’s and have throughout my college career, as well as high school. Thus, when I say this, it is not because I am unable to handle to trivial workload. My big problem with college is that here we are, supposedly rising above the rest, and yet there are about 42,000 students supposedly doing the same. Furthermore, let’s say I stick it out for four years, I will then have the opportunity to work for someone who was smart enough to spend their life developing an idea or career, in stead of conforming and marching to the same beat as everyone else.

  
  

• Great points in here. I am 2 years out and look back at college as some what of a waste. I went away to a four year university, and never really wanted to be there…the novelty wore off every year and I was far from home, family, and old friends. The course work was hit or miss, but no major (even engineering) prepared people for the job force. I value education, but honestly….moving away for a year and working ANYWHERE would have taught me a alot. I suggest starting college courses while in HS…maybe during the summer try everything out. Try arts, computers, dentistry…whatever…just knock all the basic shit out, travel, work where people value your skills…and see where you end up. Part of me wishes I had joined the Navy and been a grunt or something. Taking huge loans to go to prestigious universities is not for everyone. I took a class for fun last spring at a County College…WOW! Had I know…the price was unreal and level of teachers was superb. Live life.

  
  

• Ummmm… I am still in highschool so don’t hate me for saying this.(I am gradusting as a junior) I was just wondering what would you do if your parents just want you to make a lot of money but you have a super severe intrest in art ( all kinds) and your afraid you won’t be able to find a job and cover it up with the saying,”ohhhh…I want to be a psychiatrist…just to hide the fact that you really want to be some sort of photographer, or artist, or graphic designer,or something of that nature.

  
  

• “silvia Says:
  January 19th, 2010 at 5:44 am
  Some students drop out because all the damn classes are full. I hope I don’t spend the next 2 years of my life taking classes just because they’re the only ones available.”

  Yep I’ve been there before and that is just in highschool.

  
  

• The American Dream, is Dead.
  Gone are the stories of the hard-working dishwasher who started out small and one day worked his way up, now he owns the company [long gone].
  College is not about weather or not you earned a degree, it’s about weather or not you have the ‘stick-to-it’ mentality strong enough to persevere through tons of meaningless crap, and finish.
  Having a degree does not get you a job. It gets you a job interview! You still have to sell yourself and be good at what you do. Therein lies the rub.
  In today’s economy most of the people who make up the pool of choices are more experienced and seasoned than a fresh graduate hence the available talent to choose from really is plentiful enough for employers to be ultra-selective before even considering a new hire. Then graduates have to face the challenges of nepotism and favorites. And the fact that most employers have no incentive financially to hire anyone.
  I am having a hard time digesting this pill, I grew up homeless on Venice Beach, and just earned my Pre-Law degree, and graduated on the honor-roll with a 4.0.
  I can’t find a job to save my life!
  Do yourselves a favor.
  Pick a career you’re good at and get busy becoming the absolute best at it because the loans you have to repay will ensure a lifetime of indebted servitude, that promise to keep you working for barely enough to feed yourself, for the rest of your life. Opportunity is dead out there unless your daddy has a company he plans on making you the head of, or an Uncle in the same boat.
  War on the Middle-Class is at it’s peak!
  Never before has the distance between the ‘Have’s and the ‘Have-Not’s” been so great. If the economy continues to increase that distance between Rich and Poor, the rubber-band will break and the wealth will be re-distributed through Civil War.
  That notion comes from History.
  China has re-distributed their wealth every 1,000 years, or every-time the distance has grown this far between the rich and the poor.

  
  

• College isn’t for everybody. If you can find a means of legal income without going to school than do so. People who have college educations shouldn’t lord it over those who don’t have them. On the other hand, those without college eucations shouldn’t go through life with this massive inferiority complex because they didn’t go to college.
  Unfortunately, in our highly specialized and competitive society. most of us will probably require some sort of degree or certification to get a decent professional job. Most of our fellow posters who are now scuffing at the value of a college degree will eventually find it is the right thing to do to go back to the classroom. Promotions almost always go to those with the degrees. The higher salaries almost always goes to those with the degrees. Yhe nice houses and new cars almost always goes those with the degrees.

  Many of us really need to do other things after we graduate from high school before we’re ready for college. Work in a factory, drive a taxi, tend bar, wait on tables or go do some military service over in Iraq for a few years before making the step to go to college. If you think going to college is bulls… then I suggest you flip burgers in McDonald’s, do sales at Walmart or unload trucks for Piggly Wiggly to witness what real baloney is.

  By the way, I am a prof, and I didn’t care for many of my professors and I wasn’t wild about all of the classes I had to take. I’d say about 60-70% of my students are ready for college and can do the work if they put their shoulders to it. I also feel most of these students will do well afterwards in their professional lives. About 30-40% just can’t cut it for one reason or other (some reasons are legit). At the top of the list are items such as laziness and poor educational skills. However, 10 to 20% are simply immature and spoiled babies. They always expect others to cut them some slack, make it easier for them, or actually do their work for them. Worse yet, they expect somebody to entertain them. By the way, these 10-20% come from both genders, all races, all regions and from all social classes. Chances are most of these 10-20% will eventually grow-up and take responsibility for themselves. The ones who don’t grow-up wind-up in prison, unemployed or with other major problems. Who told you Northwestern or any other college or university failed you? Was it your mommy? Time to peel-off the diapers and to become an adult.

  
  

• as christina applegate said, “this world is bullshit”. especially if u have social anxiety disorder and are largely apathetic about college and 750 word essays. english professors are dicks. best thing about college to me is being in a louisiana college town the campus is your only shot at being around people from other countries all the time. im thinking of dropping out because my heart isnt in this right now, i hardly go to class because of my social phobia which adds to the embarresment of not having assignments in the English dick’s class. im thinking of dropping out and this article’s posts have given me some slightly enlightening perspective.

  
  

• I feel all 11 relate to me, but mainly 2. 3. 4

  I’ve been in school for 5 years and still unable to graduate, and not only am I in Debt, but because I didn’t take enough classes to make a minor, my school won’t let me graduate. My school no longer lets people graduate without an underline focus, unless your in Nursing, which 7 years is expected and understudy at a Hospital. Our schools science programs now come with required built in minors.

  I am totally burned out from working full-time and doing just my major classes; which I had to take all year round (spring/summer) just to almost complete, due to added classes, in 5 years. Being burned out makes you more likely to drop, skip, and give up. I may have a semester let of my major classes and now I can’t finish/graduate cause I had no minor/underline focus? Which means a few more years to complete.

  As for the Teachers, they themselves understand the subject just fine, but when you ask questions related to meaning and understanding often they can’t explain it. I’ve had teachers say “I don’t know” and “you should look up the answer”. I say if its part of their lesson they shouldn’t tell the class to research the answer.

  
  

• Plus five years of college changes, I still have to take General Eds, that are no longer taught and have no substitute classes. And I’m recommended to find Community school that has the needed classes. I might as well transfer and start all over again.

  Advice?

  
  

• I am burned out. And I know I have been lazy and not tried enough in college. But it wasn’t until I started skipping class and looking forward to my crumby fast-food job did I realize that I hated being a failure. High school as easy for me, but I wasn’t prepared for college. I lost a parent my senior year, the parent I was left with didn’t help prepare me either. Like I mentioned, I admit to being lazy. But I feel that if I’d been prepared more it wouldn’t have gotten this bad, I wouldn’t be looking forward to the thought of working full time as a vacation rather than a set back.

  
  

• all 11 reasons are all equally accountable for students who drop out of college, what the students lack most of the time is the ambition to going for the right career, decisions always change and when a decision is made it will then change again, change in mind is very common, but the possibilities never end, I’m only a senior in high school and I’m about to graduate here in a month and 2 weeks…I know how it is to procrastinate and be lazy on class work and assignments given out by the teachers, we’ve all gone through that phase, but once you get into college temptations of wanting to procrastinate more builds and it burdens students heavily…I already know what I’m going to do in college because I’ve been doing the same study of it my whole life, I’m going to be striving to major in music so that I may either be the director of a high school, or be a professional musician in the future… music has always gave me the ambition to strive forward and work for what I need to have the career i want, and even being just a senior in high school, I know I can best college no matter the obstacle, to me the challenge is worth it’s rewards in the future… so never give up, have strength and fight your way to earn your careers… live strong today and better for tomorrow. 🙂

  
  

• I’m in my fourth semester, and I work at McDonalds to pay my bills. I thought living closer to my college would have made it easier for me to attend, but now I’m just really freaking out about bills. I can’t afford to not work. I can barely afford to eat as it is, and I can’t cut back on hours so I have to take a break for now. I read a good deal of the posts on this page and it’s really helping me to feel okay with my decision. I hate giving up, but I’m severely depressed and I have to choose. I’m going to take time off. This will be the first time in my life that school has not been a factor for me. I know in time I will most likely attend college again, or a trade school. I know I have to pursue something more, but I’m not sure what it will be and I need to put a pause on my education because if I don’t I’m just going to continue to screw it up.

  
  

• I’m still enrolled, but after one good year, one year of not completing any units, and one year of completing only two, I’m on the verge of dropping out.

  My reasons are boredom and apathy. All the reading, researching and ‘proper’ essay writing destroys any interest I may have had in a topic.

  If I WERE to get the degree, I’d still have no actual job prospects, plus a debt. Which is no better than my current situation, anyway.

  And, after encountering what people around me have said and written in classes over the past three years, I really don’t think that a college degree is much of an indication of a person’s intelligence or ability.

  It has been a very expensive way of avoiding making decisions about the direction of my life, and I have to change that.

  
  

• For me, I’m not considering dropping out of school. But I am sure getting burnt out on all the constant work all the time. I just keep going and going and going and going, and now I’m starting to feel the effects. I just can’t bring myself to want to do it anymore like I used to…. It just got old after a while and I’m burnt out on it…. I’m in a funk! 🙁

  
  

• High school didn’t prepare me for anything. I was a 3.85 GPA student. I’m almost done with my second semester of college and I’m down to below a 2.0. Way below. None of my family had gone to college so I had no one to tell me how it is. I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

  
  

• I’m still in my college, it’s a private college and very expensive. The problem is that I can’t focus in studying and making lots of assignments because when I was in high school I barely graduated (not to mention that I failed in the first year of high school then did again and passed). So that concludes: i’m not prepared to colleges or universities.
  Well, that’s me in college life…But what am I without college?

  I’m a 3D designer, modeller, and professional in that architecture stuff…trust me, I didn’t study that in a college or school bullshit. That was self learning at home without even asking people or using the net.

  
  

• I can not believe some of the things that I have read from people’s post. The only reason that you people are saying these things are because; 1. You have horrible jobs and make no money from lack of a college degree, 2. Your a complete idiot and did not get accepted to college and are bitter. In these economic times, if you do not have a college degree you will not ever obtain a decent job. But then again, if you like being broke with no money and working dead end jobs, continue life with just your high school education.

  
  

• I’m 46 and I found this website b/c I was looking at going back to college to do something I actually like…teach.

  I have a BS in Elect Eng. I was sitting in my cube one day staring at the computer screen and thought – I can’t believe this is my f’ing life. What a joke. I make 70K a year doing something I hate.

  In college you learn how to THINK. You learn how to persevere. You learn how to juggle many things at once. You learn how to present, how to write. You join clubs and volunteer and learn how to deal with people.

  I used almost nothing from college classes to actually do my job after I graduated. But I did use the skills that I got from being a well-rounded person who survived and got my degree. Oh and BTW – it took my 5 years b/c I quit for a semester in my Senior year b/c I couldn’t stand it anymore. But I went back and finished.

  
  

• I’m in DeAnza College right now and I’m in a brink of dropping out. The reason I am doing this is that I can’t support myself over finacial issue be cause the Finacial Aid turned me down. Hope that a job I’m work in, California’s Great America, would help me over some few buck, but it doesn’t turned out as I wanted. My mother creating some unbelieveable issue that she wanted me out from college and then she wanted stay in college. I can’t hadle the pressure that my mother had given me some decision that I have to choose. AS if now, college stuff isn’t working out for my future career as a auto mechanic. I don’t need to learn all the GE stuff. What I need is a hands-on-training school who would tech me how to fix stuff with my bare hands. The degree or higher rate doesn’t get you a job, its the same thing as getting a high school diploma, but higher education. What they only offer you is an interview from job. That’s it, nothing more.

  
  

• I just graduated from college. Should have taken me 4 years but took six. I have narcolepsy which made it so much more difficult to focus and get good grades. My family also never had good credit and it was really hard to get loans even with coesigners. I am happy i made it through greatful as well. But I do know becuase of the two reasons mentioned above, I was really close in dropping out

  
  

• I don’t want to continue to go to college because in above #4 says Personal or family issues. I’m so stressed. I’m really tired to getting the workload in school and also going out to earning money for my family. I’m so tired.

  College really got a lot to do. And some unncessary General education( non-related) to your major. this is the biggest issue make me staying in college s o long. I’m tired.. it’s my 6th year in college laready.. and i’m still not getting the degree..

  
  

• i agree wit many of u… however i did very well in HS. i was in the top 20% of my high school class… but when i got to college i failed a few classes and drooped a lot of others… i think its because i was given a lot of false hope in high school… but when i first started college i was taking the dumpiest classes ever that i shouldnt have had to take…

  for me college feels like HS all over again just in a different setting. i dont feel iv learned anything new over the last 3yrs! the fuckin professors suck major ass!

  im not learning anything i can take with me and use for the future!

  college is very uncreative and is built around stone age thinking… i just dont believe college works! it seems to me some of the most successful people in the world are people who dint go through college…

  to me the whole idea of college is old and its time for new age thinking!

  here is a story… my sister went to monmouth university for 4yrs to become a teacher. she got her BA got a good teaching job after she graduated for a year. she was lucky to find another teaching job, even though it was for another school and she had a bad experience. now she has no job, her 2nd teaching job fired her cause of all the crazy budget cuts and shit going on in NJ with its teachers.

  it doesnt seem like she’ll have a teaching job for next year either… so she went through 4yrs of college only to have one good year at a nice school with good pay, the rest of her teaching experiance has been bullshit!

  so that shows how well her college prepared her and how far it got her…!

  
  

• College does not mean anything at all anymore. It is like high school. It may be tougher but hell, it doesn’t really give the true meaning of life. Yes it changes your perspective in some facets but does not give you reality. Finishing or not finishing college, it doesn’t matter. As long as you know how to live your life and made decision.

  I finished college and still I see people who did not even do the same, finding themselves in much greater places than I do.

  
  

• anxiety and depression was too crippling at school.
  It’s not that I’m not smart or capable. It’s just hard to function when you are considering jumping off the roof or checking in somewhere. It’s hard to function when you are that sick. For the people who make staying in school so clear cut- it’s not so clear cut for everybody. I would kill to be in your shoes in thinking it’s easy or not a huge hurdle. I was so alone and to this day I think no one understood. Since I got out- I got my mental health together w/o pills or therapy.
  I want to go back, but I’m too scared of feeling crazy again. I feel put together but aimless and in a minimum wage job I really like, but I fear being an unreliable provider. I’m so trapped. I fear the disappointment again.

  
  

• I did it for 2.5 years. I already owe my parents lots of money(for living expenses in NYC, you can’t support yourself completely with part-time work there) I was about to go into actual debt since I only have a half-grant and then I decided to drop. If continued I would have to go to work right after college to pay back that money. I don’t even like my major and I just didn’t stop earlier because I never had time to reflect upon what I was doing since I was too busy doing it.
  That said, I feel much better now. And I’m actually doing creative stuff that has an economical potential, like writing and music and acting and learning languages. If none of my efforts work out I’ll go back in 4 or 5 years. But I think I’m better off not finishing 🙂

  
  

• I am going to be a high school senior this year, and I was actually really excited about college…but after reading all these comments, I am really starting to get discouraged.

  
  

• College can be a once and a life time experience. It is a time to grow and time to prove to yourself that you can make it own your own. Of course, most high schools in the United States don’t prepare students for college, but if we really want to be successful in college or even life after high school that doesn’t involve going to post secondary education, we have to take the responsibility upon ourselves. We need guidance, but it is up to us to find that guidance. If we want something so bad, than we would chase it and not make any excuses. We can blame family or teachers for our mistakes or failures, but it is no excuse. We have to create our own change and escape the up and down cycle that has plagued this nation for too long. We are a new generation and it is up to us or to YOU to want to change. Don’t be afraid because there will be someone right behind us even though we don’t know it. The world is a big place, we need help to get prepared, and the only thing we have to do is to find that motivation. We can do anything we put our minds to.

  
  

• I think the hardest thing about going to college right out of high school was my priorities. I went into a major that I wanted, not neccessarilly one that would be good for me. I was focused on what I thought would be a cool job to do.
  Now, eight years later, my priorities have changed somewhat. I just want to learn enough to get a job I can do for 60 hours a week . . . without wanting to shoot myself. So I picked

  
  

• You people are amazing. Really…
  Go to college if you want to go and if you don’t – then don’t go. I’ve heard so many things about college: the pros/cons and in the end, you should just do what you want to do.
  And for some commenter above me (I cannot find the number) but you shouldn’t just state that people from the USA wouldn’t be able to handle your country’s colleges. Really? Good job at being a nationalist. Two wars were started because of that type of attitude.
  And to think I was worried all this time about the type of college I was going to. Was it prestigious enough? Would I learn valuable information? Etc. I’ve decided to just attend a college near my home that the other members of my family have attended. It is not prestigious, but it is a college where I know I’ll be comfortable. If you are going to college, make sure you are comfortable. If you feel nice in your environment, you can handle the stress of those large homework assignments better.
  People…just do what you want to do. And don’t judge others for following their own path.

  
  

• I am a junior in college, and boy can I tell you people that the GE courses are your easiest time, after that it’s mostly writing and much more critical thinking. I am glad I read everyone’s post because I already knew that college somehow prepared you in some mysterious ways for the real world. Now I know that they are: work ethics, perseverance, critical thinking (including scientific and individual/sociological), networking, and others.
  The most important thing is that you like or even love your major or focus, it will keep your incentive up. I love mine and plan on going through day by day, test by test until I graduate.
  LOOOOL at # 205, she took rock formations class for an international relations major, lmfao. I have to say yes that is some BS. The guy with the required minor in his degree is complete cunt donkey too. And if the school you go to can’t even get enough seats in classes for people that need them, F that school. I go to ASU, 60K students, I haven’t had 1 problem with closed seating.

  
  

• @Norah, don’t be discouraged. These people are idiots. “…now I don’t know how to study for college because in high school blah blah blah.” Please. I never studied once in high school and did average. Came to college, and adjusted to the change easily. 3.7+ GPA going into senior yeat mechanical engineering and russian major. Studying for college is simple: Do what the classes ask of you. Do the readings. Go to class. Go to help sessions. You will succeed. What you are reading is the result of people not going to class, not doing ungraded assignments, etc. Lazyness, lack of drive to succeed. They are bored in their classes because they don’t care to actually learn anything. Thats good that they dropped out, because in my opinion, they never belonged in college in the first place.

  Cheers

  
  

• And i pay for college myself. And go to 20k per year school. You people need to learn to act.

  
  

• all of these excuses are attempts to justify the stupid decisions they made.

  
  

• “””im not learning anything i can take with me and use for the future!

  college is very uncreative and is built around stone age thinking… i just dont believe college works! it seems to me some of the most successful people in the world are people who dint go through college…

  to me the whole idea of college is old and its time for new age thinking! “””

  And that would be your fault. Learn to take initiative. Uncreative? My experience is that college has been the utmost creative atmosphere.

  You people are ridiculous

  
  

• @ Norah again, college is excessively fun, challenging, and if you love to live and learn, you will flourish. These people are a minority.

  
  

• I didn’t even really attend high school, because I found it monotonous and disagreeable, and was also pretty engrossed in drug use at the time. But a general unwillingness to submit to the criteria and format of an academic institution was detected at a very early age. I am now 24 years of age, at my fourth college, with approximately a year and a half at most needed to acquire a bachelor’s degree. As was included in the list, I never learned the organizational skills or study habits most people develop in high school. I’m pretty worn down at this point, and am growing fairly despondent and depressed about the matter. The fundamental problem is my inability to do things I don’t want to do, which is most of the things required of me in college classes. However, I have worked all the crappy jobs I care to, so if I quit school again, I really have nowhere to go. I’m pretty apathetic when I consider modern society and the job front. I’d rather live off the grid and grow my food. Not real sure what to do at this point. My family is urging me to see it through, as they have told me countless times. The reality is that it’s 3:12AM, and I have an Anthropology paper due tomorrow, which I haven’t written. That’s another thing. I just changed my major this late in the game so to speak, from Studio Art, and have been thrust back into academic as opposed to studio classes. So yeah, that’s basically my situation. I don’t have anyone or anything but myself to blame.

  
  

• i hate college i dont know why im even in college i should stop wasting my dads money goodbye

  
  

• Why not just get a degree abroad? You could get a top-flight engineering or medical degree in places like India for a pittance.

  
  

• I’m in college at the moment doing mediczl reception/admin but I told my mam I don’t wanna do it cause I’m only 18 I don’t know what I want out of life but she’s pushing me to keep going. I know it’s not what I want do to but how do I go about dropping out with my mam making me go..?

  
  

• Im a freshman at the University of Akron. The work is fairly easy to me, although it does pile up sometimes. I thinks its all about self motivtion. My problem is the financial situation that Im in. I’ve taken out all the loans that I can and still cant afford any text books. So… yeah… how long can I survive without a single book for for any class? Not long. I’ll probably be dropping out this semester so I can live at home, get a job, a car, and work on my own apartment. My plan is to start classes at CSU instead (or even Tri-C, Bryant & Straton, Remington). I’ve had enough of the college experience. Its too expensive & very overrated; no fun at all!

  
  

• I dropped my first semester because I tried to down a bottle of sleeping pills to kill myself. My advice to people: College is not as fun as everyone makes it out to be, if you struggle with depression, go to a school where you have friends and a foreseeable future.

  
  

• to normal college kid –

  Your the one making excuses, telling everyone else that they are dumb because they dont need to listen to the failures that are stuck in a rut. They have the courage and strength to step out on their own and forge their own future. The road to success is the one less traveled. Anything you need to learn you can teach yourself. Watch and listen to those who are successful and you will be successful too!

  
  

• i would have to say many student drop out is due to not really wanting to attend school in the first place. So many students are told by the parents that they have to, so the student heart is not in it.

  
  

• LOL at # 151 advice, so beautifully told…Btw Im a second Year at CSU Chico, and I find it real difficult finding some motivation. I do tell myself that I wish it wasnt me who would be the first to be in college in my family then I begin to start feeling the pressure….eh!, I’m now making a decision to transfer to a community college and get an Associates Degree. I probably should done that first…However, I still have my options.

  
  

• In Tanzania and most of the third world countries, college students may vote for quiting college in the light of the fact that, our education system has no a promising future.There is high demanding lecture schedule, with a lot of things around you to be accomplished at per,you don’t get time for extra activities during university life and still you hassle up to death after college due to lack of something to do out there!!!!!!!!!!

  
  

• College is about being a drone. Then again, so is life.

  
  

• The error lots of people are making when harshly judging the students that drop is that they don’t understand that some people already know how life works.
  People keep saying “well yeah you have to take useless classes, get used to it, you have to do lots of things in real life you don’t want to”, and this is ridiculous. For one, not everybody goes to college immediately after the 12th grade, and all of those people already have life experience. Secondly, many people Work one if not a couple jobs THROUGHOUT High school, and pay their own bills if not helping to pay the bills of their family and everything. These people are well acquainted with real world life and how to do tough things. A lot more so than most college students, I would wager.
  So for those people to suddenly realize that they are paying way way way more than they need to buy their own house, just so they can live in an 8 by 16 room with another person, eat shitty food, be broke all the time and spend lots of valuable time going to/doing work for classes that have absolutely nothing to do with your field and will never help you in the future; Dropping out seems like a good idea sometimes.

  
  

• So you mean those people that know lots about science to protect our world don’t need college? Like Einstein or people that created the first stage of the rocket? Or people that do very detailed defense measures to protect the country with computer and science? What about doctors? I guess screw that as well from what everyone is saying here. And you people expect things to be easy? Man, then do something else and leave college. But don’t put it down for everyone else. College is for self-achievement as well. So please stop saying that professors are dumb and don’t know what they are doing. Yes some are bad, some are very bad. But not all. Lame arguments here.

  
  

• dude i find that the main reason people drop out is for money issues people say you shouldn’t drop out thats so stupid why are you doing that well what else are they suppose to do if they work their asses off and spending money on important stuff but can’t afford college anymore they can’t do anything but drop out and maybe start over who knows and sure there are scholarships and grants but there not always available o well…

  
  

• although from what i’ve read on some comments you guys are going to the wrong schools and idk what major i’m going in and the only problem i’m having now is online class so i hate and will never take online ever again and some people might love online classes well i don’t lol so we all have different opionions so whatever floats your boats…

  
  

• For me, it was a case of screwing up in secondary school and not getting sufficient grades for the course I wanted. The college environment was great, but I knew (and indeed was advised by staff) that continuing a course that didn’t suit would lead to failure and the loss of my grant anyway. Getting out early was the best (albeit painful) option. I’m re-sitting my finals this year so I can study what I like next year. Still sucks, though.

  
  

• Why did I drop out?

  2 reasons, money and not learning what I thought was useful.

  After 2 years of taking utterly useless class, even plenty within the major, I was done. I majored in computer science which is more theory than anything practical, I suppose if you were going to be a PhD then it would be useful. Most of the programming courses available were also targeted towards how a big corporation would program using JAVA.

  Coming from a rather poor family, I am pretty practical, and saw no reason to incur the additional 2 years of debt, to have to pay it off in a corporate job. Besides I already had job offers, so I just quit and took one. I learned the ropes in the real world and now just work for myself. I actually tried going back at one point “just for that piece of paper” but about halfway through the semester I realized how backwards the education system was. And being back in school with what I thought were sheep was pretty backwards in the Information Age. Now if I had a free ride just to take classes, sure, yeah, I would take them, but the outrageous tuition these days isn’t worth it whatsoever unless you want to be a corporate drone rat race type. That is the type of jobs college prepares you for. I do the same thing on the internet in subjects I am interested in, MIT has Open Courseware and other universities offer their material up for free too. You can get any textbook college uses on amazon.

  I would advise people, life style first, then choose what you need to do to fit that lifestyle. I live out in the country now away from people and do mostly DIY stuff, still program computers for money, still write. College taught me none of that. College teaches you to conform to society. It perpetuates western culture in general. If this wasn’t true all the b.s. requirements of English literature, humanities etc would not be there. Trust your instinct, YES they are irrelevant. No more irrelevant than studying ceramic making or planting tomatoes would be. Just teaching you again, to be part of society by making you think such subjects are even important. All subjective really.

  PS I was a straight A Student…

  
  

• well, I am a student who has to make a research paper to find out why students drop out of college and not accomplished their goals. I had not idea how to make a research paper, but I liked up with some people and the gave the enough orientation to keep going. now I am in the right way.

  There is always a solution for everything, I am experiencing many trouble many problems in college but I already surpassed many problems and i will surpass everything with many effort and God’s help. We are no the first people struggling through college neither the last people, but like many people did we can do, and like us many people will do. there is always a solution for everything, except for the death.

  
  

• I actually plan on dropping out of college next summer and moving to a New York City.

  I respect people who have degrees, and some people actually enjoy school, and that’s fine, but school is just not the right fit for me. It wasn’t too hard, it IS too expensive (for most people, and I don’t want to take out loans), and I’m not giving up, it’s just not what I want to do with my life.

  Society has conditioned our minds into thinking that the best way to be successful is to go to college and get a degree, IMO once upon a time that WAS true, but not today. Some of the biggest companies in the world were created by dropouts (ex: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook). I don’t think most students enjoy going to school and only do so because their parents want them to or they think they have to. Which is sad, students don’t realize that college is a direct line to middle class, average, or in-debt (unless your at an ivy league university or are just an exceptional student, which most students won’t put in the work). And most students don’t know what they really want to do or don’t enjoy the major they are doing. Nowadays most grads usually end up getting jobs outside of the field they got their degree in anyways. People don’t understand that there is so much competition in the college path, more than any other career really, unless you’re ready to really work your butt off, good luck finding that high paying job right out the gate.

  But it’s not all about the money, the number one reason I believe people go to college is because it’s the safe route, they’re too afraid to take any chances, which again, is fine, but it’s not my prerogative. We only get one life to live and you don’t know how long your going to be here for, why not do something DIFFERENT and enjoy yourself, leave your mark, make a difference.

  My main reason for leaving school: To pursue my dreams.

  I figure if I were to die tomorrow I would rather be moving closer to my dreams doing things I actually enjoy, than be in a classroom, doing something that I can’t put my heart into. taking in information I’m most likely not going to use or even remember the following semester. So I’m just not going to go anymore, I have bigger plans.

  I CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PATH

  Just a little two cents from an actual college dropout students’ mind.

  
  

• I just read all the comments and thought I’d share my drop-out story: I graduated high school at 16 and got a 4-year scholarship to a city college. I “knew” I’d major in accounting because all of those lame career placement tests we took told me that was my ideal job. I dropped out after one semester (I had all As except one B in accounting) because I hated accounting – and all my other degree options – and wasting my time and energy on all that pointless work I had no interest in was driving me insane.

  I’ve been through medical billing programs in other schools since then, and despite being remembered by the teachers for getting the best scores, I’ve never found a job because I had no experience. I was even fired from an unpaid internship on my first day because I had no idea what I was doing (in my defense, I assumed they would train me). Somehow, doing well in class didn’t prepare me at all…maybe I was a little too good at cheating the system.

  Here’s what I did learn: just as college isn’t for everybody, everybody’s not meant for the same type of work. That seems obvious, but I was pressured to have an intellectual/typical white-collar job for my whole life, just because I was perceived as smart and did well in school. With almost all productive labor in the US being outsourced and replaced with meaningless office slavery that contributes nothing to society, it’s no wonder. At least 50 years ago you could get a job in a factory and live pretty well without being branded an idiot who can’t get anything better.

  (Most) institutionalized education doesn’t teach you a skill; it teaches you to regurgitate information. And since that’s the only thing I seem to know how to do, I feel cheated. I’m 21 now and am starting all over trying to find my place.

  
  

• I’m not going to say the money was the reason for my dropout, (scholarships and grants roughly helped me enough), neither was the 20 page essays or the studying sessions til 3 am., the reason for my leaving.
  I spent three years as a nursing major, of course starting out with your usual seminar in theology, religion, fiction, and greek philosophy. All which were, in my eyes, utterly useless in terms of nursing, but culturally expanded my mind.(i get it now, i guess…or i just choose to believe that, rather than that colleges just bulls*it you for a year to get your money -_- but i digress——
  If there was one thing that i learned in college, was that i was far from stupid. That i had a capability of memorizing information and repeating it verbatim. But, as to see myself a nurse for the rest of my life? Yeah, i guess the money is good, but the only thing keeping me there was the money. I’d feel disgusting if i started working as a Nurse,.. took care of someones father or daughter,,, and utterly hated every second of it. But “oh yea! my paycheck comes next week, its all worth it”
  My parents constant push was enough to keep their Child in school for more than three years. But one thing you learn in college is to be an Adult. Life isn’t easy. You make decisions on your own, and suffer the consequences for them. I know that when I return to college, it will be for myself and my happiness. Probably, the most important thing you may discover in college, is yourself. —————

  
  

• I associate more with reasons 2, 3, 4, 10. The tremendous amount on work, plus the fact that it’s all really hard, has worn me out. High school was far easier, the work was relatively easy and we didn’t have a whole lot of either. I almost never studies and yet i almost always passed. But that’s not the case in college. The work is too hard and there’s far too much of it, and I don’t know the first thing about studying. I just wasn’t prepared for all this. Plus I’ve been stressing about family issues. My cousin was murdered, my father just got out of jail, and I was diagnosed with bipolar depression 2yrs ago and have been off my meds b/c I can’t afford them. Which is another reason why I’m thinking about dropping out. I have bills and last I checked I wasn’t getting paid to sit in class or study all day. My class schedule has gotten in the way of my work schedule too much. So, right now, my job is much more important. On top of all that, I just don’t want to be there anymore. I actually never wanted to go to college. I’ve known that since the 10th grade. The only reason why I decided to go was to please everyone in my family. But it’s just not what I want. What I want is to do what makes me happy, and right now that’s working. But I’m just so unsure about whether or not I should drop out. Everyone’s telling me that I shouldn’t and I don’t want to disappoint my family. But at the same time, I don’t want to be somewhere that I’m not happy being. I need help…

  
  

• I found that college is so much easier than HS. I got my AA from community college, went to 2 different 4-year uni. and didn’t like it, so I left week 1. I worked for almost 2 years then last year returned to finish up. I still have a year left, but at this point it would be such a waste of time to quit now. I still don’t like college town however.

  I’ve had my own place, commuted, and currently have a place w/ a roommate. Commuting is the way to go.

  Lets just say if I didn’t have financial aid, and if I didn’t live within an hour of home.. I would have dropped out LONG ago.

  
  

• I dropped out of college 3 times.

  The 1st time: I dropped out 1 day before the first classes started because I was super homesick, and had no privacy, and hated the dorms.

  The 2nd time: I got married and moved, so I dropped out 2 days into the semester.

  The 3rd time: The “teachers” were unqualified idiots. The school was affiliated with a certain religion and constantly tried to push their religious crap down my throat in their curriculum and subject material. It was uber expensive. It was overall not a very good experience.

  I am just too afraid at this point to even think about trying out college again.

  
  

• I think people should go to uni later in life. Then you’re more prepared, have life experience and are mature enough to face any amount work thrown at you and you’re able to prioritize better. I think that people also lose sight of reality, which is that if u do not have a degree u won’t get a decent job. People like bill gates are few and far between. So unless you have an idea that will revolutionise the world, stay in school.

  
  

• I didn’t get a chance to read ALL the replies but it sounds like overall people are using this as an outlet to release their frustrations about their failed college experiences. The reality is aside from personal issues that may interfere…college is difficult. If it were easy, everyone would have a college degree right? Or there would be no need to celebrate an accomplishment above and beyond what is required of you as a child(i.e. High School). The fact is unless you are an heiress,techno/gidget geek who has the latest and greatest program under your sleeve, dance, sing, or play sports- school is definitely worth serious consideration. If it helps- I have been on both sides of the fence and school is much harder than working. But, school is much more fulfilling, and I got extremely tired of making tons of money (slaving) for some corporation looking to make the next cut to improve their profits- which could inevitably be my job. This is one tid bit everyone forgot to mention. What happens when you get laid off(which is really feasible in this economy) or fired and then you have no education to compete with other unemployed folks with advanced degrees? Your chances are really slim to getting a position when competing with those who actually have college degrees. Look at it this way- You only have to do college once, and then you have the rest of your life to do what you want! Be smart, pick a lucrative field of study and good school. Even the statistics show those with college degrees make more money over the life span when compared to those who don’t. I’m currently getting my PhD and undergrad is a breeze compared to what I’m doing now (and YES I overcame hurdles you wouldn’t believe). Just a small voice of reason to those looking for motivation-hang in there!

  
  

• I submit the reason for dropouts is professors not focusing on understanding as their primary goal, instead looking at how-to and accomplishments on tasks. I am a math professor, and this is my goal, but too many are not this way. See “Teaching and Helping Students Think and Do Better”. See also the new book, “Rational Thinking, Government Policies, Science, and Living”. What does understanding mean? It means knowing what the basic principles are, understanding the logical consequences and empirical verifications.

  
  

• Reason #12. People realize College is a scam and gets out early.

  
  

• I always aspired to be a cosmetologist but ended up deciding to try out college to explore other careers I thought I’d be interested in. I’m in my first year of college, just starting my second semester and I am quitting after this year to go to beauty school. After trying college, i still feel in my heart that cosmetology is what I am meant to do.

  
  

• Premed was a Bear! I did it at Detroit’s Wayne State messed up caught cheating then transferred to UM’s Dearborn campus. I always maintain I would have made it at Ann Arbor despite stiffer competition. I went to commuter schools lived at home had no Life. (never DO!) I admit I didn’t take a full load or work for tuition. But I hated Calculus etc and only did it b/c my Caltech Dad would choke me if I didnt.

  Sooo I ended up at a lousy foreign med school and lost years of my life studying for tests.

  I’d rather be a physical therapist. The extra years are NOT WORTH IT!!

  
  

• I dropped out because it was getting boring. and not in the high school “omg school sucks its so pointless” kind of way. i wasn’t doing anything except getting out of bed, going to class, doing some paperwork, going to bed, and doing the whole thing over the next day. some classes were mandatory but they were so difficult that i turned my brain off. my classes were so large the teacher didn’t even know i existed. partly my fault yes. other classes were so easy they felt like a waste of time. and everything in between. besides, i wanted to work. in fact i love to work. so i did and they were random jobs too. i was a cashier at a grocery store, a lifeguard, paid under the counter to deliver food and be a cashier at a chinese fast food place. i was unemployed, filed traffic tickets for my local circuit clerk office, sold sunglasses at a mall kiosk, and i’m currently a nanny. and i learned tons. not the normal stuff most people think of but still it was a lot. and now after all of it i’m going back to school. i’m actually waiting for my school’s website to work because there’s so many people using it right now. 🙂

  
  

• Well, My reason for dropping out of college in 2005 was pregnancy. For a long time I though I’d be a statistical black 17 year old mother without a pot to piss in.

  Now, They say God has miracles, I struggled for a while until I found the support of Project Row house. I’d finished my first year of school and had my son in May 2005. Dropped out and struggled until I got back in school August of 2009.

  I am so glad I did. There was no way i could make it without a degree being a single parent. Single partenting itseld is a whole other conversation. Not, “I drop my kids off at my momma house” parenting. Real single mother living.

  Well,

  Newhoo, my son is in Kindegarten now and I have a year left and enroute to graduation for 2012!!!!

  
  

• post to 262: hey im from there too! it’s a huge college town and i lived there my whole life. my next plan is to move out of there and live somewhere else! it gets old fast but i’m currently attending butte college.

  But man I totally agree with all the people who were college drop outs! I’m almost like you guys soon! And I totally agree with what you guys say too that it is a huge waste of money and time. I’m a average 20 year old male that is attending community college. I’m in my 2nd semester and I am planning to drop out to because it is way to long and I’m learning nothing! I mean college has taught me to take more responsibility in life but not in education. Maybe taking that gameplay and implanting on my future family and task when I grow older, but as for school heck no! I was never an acamedic smart whiz kid either I was an average kid. After I graduated high school I wanted to take a break and had huge arguements with my dad because I didn’t want to go to colleg and didn’t know what to do. He thought that if I didn’t go to college I would be another lazy American! So I took two years off and I was happy, but after deciding to be enrolled last fall, he was excited and told me I would make it out alive with lots of money. That was a good inspiration to make me go to college for the first two weeks but after that I wasn’t so motivated anymore. I was already thinking about dropping out! I had no one to talk to and I struggled so hard to the point where my uncle noticed my habit and talked to me about my issues. He was another father figure I looked up to after my dad. He was the one that kept me inspired to go to college but I soon found out that his words of wisdoms wasn’t gonna make me last enough to complete my whole college career. It helped me complete my first semester but this semester it’s like “yea whatever”. Heard it many times. Even after a month started, I already plan of dropping my two classses that has nothing to do with my major and that is BUSINESS! I’m just taking this semester for the heck of it and is planning to drop out immediately after this semester, but for all those students who are very close of getting your degree on whatever subject you’ve been chasing after for. Keep going! If you drop out right now and have been, you better have a minimum wage job and keep it because in the long run you will get promoted higher and higher. You might even make as much or more than a graduate student and debt free a well! So good luck with it! After this semester I’m planning to be enrolled in the paramedic program and start my career there. I was fascinated by the people who work there. It was something I wanted to do and will hope to do so. Even paramedics get more rewards then full time students and the job is twice as stressful! So for me I hope to work in that field soon. Maybe in the future I might go back because I am just too young and undecided right now.

  
  

• Reading these posts takes me back to when I dropped out of school 6 years ago (2005). I only had a few classes left but I thought college was just a waste of time, that I was special and that I would be happy just working. After 6 years of bouncing around mediocre jobs and being denied some great opportunities because I don’t have the piece of paper, I am returning to obtain my degree. Dropping out of college was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made in my life.

  
  

• I’m not going to say the money was the reason for my dropout, (scholarships and grants roughly helped me enough), neither was the 20 page essays or the studying sessions til 3 am., the reason for my leaving.
  I spent three years as a nursing major, of course starting out with your usual seminar in theology, religion, fiction, and greek philosophy. All which were, in my eyes, utterly useless in terms of nursing, but culturally expanded my mind.(i get it now, i guess…or i just choose to believe that, rather than that colleges just bulls*it you for a year to get your money -_- but i digress——
  If there was one thing that i learned in college, was that i was far from stupid. That i had a capability of memorizing information and repeating it verbatim. But, as to see myself a nurse for the rest of my life? Yeah, i guess the money is good, but the only thing keeping me there was the money. I’d feel disgusting if i started working as a Nurse,.. took care of someones father or daughter,,, and utterly hated every second of it. But “oh yea! my paycheck comes next week, its all worth it”
  My parents constant push was enough to keep their Child in school for more than three years. But one thing you learn in college is to be an Adult. Life isn’t easy. You make decisions on your own, and suffer the consequences for them. I know that when I return to college, it will be for myself and my happiness. Probably, the most important thing you may discover in college, is yourself. —————

  
  

• I dropped out of college because I was sick of staying in school 15 years.

  
  

• My college is very boring! No interaction. I only go there because of stupid attendance idiocies. The teacher is telling you the exact same sentences in the book(s), bringing the same problems ( and solutions ) as in the book(s) everyone have. you stay at home and you learn faster than everyone else. I’m thinking of going back home and help my parents out with their businesses. College is a failure, i’m not the one . . .

  
  

• i actually had a friend who was suffering from 4 and 6 out of the 10 reasons. she was attending a college that wasnt that far from her home and seemed to be enjoying it her freshman yr of the fall semester and a lil of the spring. she had drug addictions though that i never noticed as much and was going through alot of emotional problems during her spring and decided to transfer out to a college in her home town.granted that she said shel visit and transfer back eventually but before fall semester of her sophomore yr she ended up in rehab and a halfway house for a year for drug addiction and has not mentioned about attending school again
  she did #4 reason was missing her friends back home the access to drugs and #6 partied alot too which made her gpa go down. idk hopefully shel go to school after taking a year off in rehab and halfway housing. im not sure what are her chances of going back would be if anybody knows? all i know is that a year off from college can effect a persons determination and pursuing their education.

  
  

• I took 2 semesters off at university because I became a single father as a freshman. I was not ready for college either due to the poor preparation that my high school gave me. We had horrible math teachers and when college came I passed all classes except the math. I was forced to go to community college. I returned back to school recently to get my IT certificate, but I’m still struggling working minimum wage and trying to support my daughter and family.

  
  

• As a college graduate (MA degree), the parent of a (successful) college student, a former college teacher (Graduate Teaching Fellow) and currently a high school teacher, I would advise the following:
  1. If you intend to go to college, take a college-bound curriculum in high school. Choose the most challenging classes that you can handle (math, science, and foreign languages). I see too many high school students picking non academic “fun” classes instead of “tough, boring” classes such as calculus and science classes, just too realize that they are not prepared for college. If you can’t manage to tough out physics in high school, you will not be able to handle it in college where instruction moves along at twice the speed as in high school.
  2. Whatever your life plan is, don’t attend college unless you love learning, exploring new areas, and thinking about complex issues.
  3. Don’t just “do the college thing.” Have a plan, and prepare for it whether it be: teaching, nursing, pre-med, pre-law, business, etc. If you really don’t know what to do with your life, work or volunteer for a while before deciding what to do. I did a gap year before I entered college, lived and worked in several countries as a volunteer. That gave me unique experiences and perspectives and made me a more efficient and prepared freshmen in college.
  4. Figure out the finances before heading off to college and make sure you can afford it. It is worse to drop out after two years with $30k in college loans than to never attend college at all. It is unfortunate how expensive an education has become in this country and how high the bar is currently for really substantial scholarships. Economists say that college loans will be the next “bubble” because too many people will just not be able to repay them. Perhaps there will be a change in the law in the future to make college loans dis-chargeable in bankruptcy; until then young people should be careful about how many loans they take out.

  Good luck to you all!

  
  

• I came to college so excited about leaving the house, being independent, networking with peers and genuinely learning something. i have never been so devastated in my life than in the past two years of being a college student.

  College is not the place it is painted to be. No learning goes on here. Professors (note that they are not called teachers anymore) hurl as much material as they can at students, and you either stay afloat or you sink, but you do not learn. I knew that no one was going to hold my hand through this process, but the college workload goes beyond that. They simply ask too much of you. The professors determine when you go to sleep, when you have time to do laundry or buy groceries, even when you have time to eat. At my weight it is not reasonable to skip meals to get some work done in between classes, but it happens often because there are no other options. Time management becomes a false concept when you spend all of your time getting work done. How can you get anything done ahead of time when there is constantly work to be done? If I were to complete every assignment on time as it was intended to be done, I guarantee literally 100% of my free time would be spent on homework and studying. Even if it is “just four years”, it is simply too demanding. Sure, it may take only ten minutes to saw your hand off, but you are still sawing your hand off.

  There are just too many days when I wake up, realizing that the next choice i make out of my own free will for the day will be climbing back in bed. It takes a lot out of you. The stress is enough to cause you to go borderline insane, and I am not exaggerating in any way. I came to college excited and ready to work hard. Now I am beyond jaded and exhausted. Doors have been closed in my face at every turn. It is defeating.

  To sum up my college experience for you in one example, I had a 75 test average and 93 quiz average in calculus. The professor weighted the final exam so heavily that getting a high D on the test brought my grade down below a C. When I woke up early on the first day of summer to figure out what had happened, he barely talked to me and was instead interested in an eccentric meth-head student’s math theories (the student had admitted to me previously that he enjoyed smoking meth. I could not make this up). Unreasonable amounts of hard work, amounted to nothing. I will never listen to anyone who tells me hard work pays off again.

  Generally the most successful students in college are the most dysfunctional. you’ve all seen them; the kid who snorts adderal and stays up for days on end, the kid who has no hygiene and dresses like he/she was just ‘basing coke on the streets, the kid who has no concept of a healthy relationship and locks him/herself in their room. these are probably the people in the comments telling you to “suck it up”, so don’t sweat it.

  I will do my best to finish, although it will be quite interesting to see if I can raise my GPA above a 3.0. Luckily I have made some pretty good friends here or my life would honestly be a living hell. I refuse to ever give another cent of my money to a secondary education institution again once i graduate, and if I am ever in a public position I will heavily criticize the false institution.

  Good luck to all graduating, I know I will need it.

  
  

• Yes, college is a lot of work. – One reason to take the most challenging classes in high school is not just to be prepared academically but also for the amount of work college entails. After all, that’s why graduates who find that first job always joke that now they have to do only three things at once instead of five. 🙂 College is supposed to be challenging, but it can be done with appropriate time management. I managed to complete a double major while also performing in a band and a Masters degree while also getting a teaching license and working as a graduate fellow, doing research and teaching a college class. My daughter is balancing a major, two minors, pre-med, and volunteering with disadvantaged children and still finds time to spend with her boyfriend and other friends. I am sorry that Charlie is having such a tough time. Perhaps the college is not a good fit? There are other options out there. Good luck.

  
  

• HOW ABOUT COLLEGE IS A PIECE OF CRAP ESTABLISHMENT THAT WASTES 6 BLOODY YEARS OF YOUR LIFE?

  
  

• HOW ABOUT THE STUPID COLLEGES THAT AREN’T DOING WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSE TO- THE ONES WITH GRADUATION RATES AS POOR AS 5%?! I’M SURE WITH RATES AS POOR AS THOSE THAT IT *MUST* BE THE STUDENTS FAULT?! DON’T SUPPORT COLLEGE BY ATTENDING THE STUPID ASS INSTITUTION.

  
  

• I am nearing the end of my sophomore year and can’t stomach the prospect of another two years. I intended to drop out after freshman year but then I’d get kicked off my parents insurance if I dropped out and I thought I had a gum disease. So I went back to school so I could have my treatment paid for but it turned out I didn’t have gum disease so I went back for nothing. College is not hard for me. It’s absurdly easy. It’s just an endless, empty charade. Most people there are just mercenaries trying to get a degree so they can get more money to buy more fancy shit when they’re middle aged and miserable and don’t have any sense of fulfillment in their lives. I want to go build a sailboat and travel the world and teach people about appropriate technology and sustainable living or just run wild in the woods hunting deer and fishing and having sex. Most people at least get sex and have fun in college even if it’s otherwise worthless, right? I don’t get any of that.

  
  

• i picked the wrong major in college, a science major. now i am very close to compelting it but i am burnt out and failing classes that i need to graduate. i can pull my act together and graduate in another year but i have no clear plan for what i will do in the future. i feel like i have wasted my time with college. to the high school seniors out there: make sure you take this year to learn who you are and what you want out of life so that you don’t waste 4+ years in college doing the wrong major. it makes you feel really bad if you’ve wasted so many years being “educated” in a area that you hate. when i look at my grades and then think of life after college, suicide comes to mind as an option to escape it all.

  
  

• Well, I knew how important it was to have a little lambskin I returned to school as an older adult for a bachelor degree. I was raising 3 children and working full time while attending school. I managed to keep a 3.8 grade point average until about the 6th year. I was always exhausted to the point I could not think any longer. Yes, I began nights in Fall 2002, since I knew what it was like to work so many “S” jobs, I was convinced I would succeed and set a good example for my children. I always wanted to go to college, but my father always told me I was good for nothing, so why go to school. I wanted to get a degree with all my heart, since I always wanted to be a teacher. Everyone, who complained about bad advisors is correct. I was misled a few times, however I also had some great advisors at Elmhurst
  college, and NCC. Unfortunately, scholarships are only available for full time, so how do you work? I love the “you can do it if you try!” I tried with all I had for just about 8 years! I was in the pathetic state of Illinois, which is the most difficult to receive a teaching degree ( I had Dr. of education verify this fact) it took longer to certify. Then Financial Aid in Illinois was cut and I could not afford the 41K school that had night classes ( that was the only school with education classes nightly available), so I went to another less expensive ( ha ha ) 31k a year school but received a 12k scholarship, but had to “Retake” several credit hours, since they need to squeeze more money out and then I had to quit my job. In any case, I had 3 trimesters left and student teaching, but could not take it any more.
  The hypocrisy is ridiculous. No one cares about you. After all the classes I took (8 years!) you would think I could have a bachelors in something! Ha! 3 more trimesters and I could get a sociology degree? WTF they do not offer Liberal arts or Humanities degrees at NCC. Bottom line, you all are right. There is not a single class worth what they cost, and I am now I have more debt. I did learn, but reflecting back what was it worth? What the hell is knowing who the Greek God going to help me pay bills? I have more credits needed for a degree, and what do I have to show for it? I should have kept working and I would have a savings, and no debt. I am 52 and could relax since my husband is about to retire. It is unfortunate that our society puts so much emphasis on college. College is a pathetic over priced joke! Also, many Dr./ Professors are very arrogant; they are steeped in the world of academics, and are out of touch with reality, and are incredibly self indulgent. The institutions tout “Think for yourself, be objective” Yet, they are the most close minded, arrogant folks on the planet! Of course, I did have some great teachers, but ironically most were the part time, adjunct or new to the school. I quit in my senior year due to finances, exhaustion and stupid hoop jumping. I never imagined I would give up! I always thought people losers for quitting so close to the goal, but I guess I am one! Life is too short, I took what money I had aside for tuition and went to Austin, Texas to hear some good music and visit my son! Follow your hearts, college is over rated! My husband always said,”Just because you have a college degree you can still be an idiot! Now I know it is so true, and yes he has a masters.

  
  

• I got pregnant in high school. my parents helped me out alot to finish high school and encouraged me to go to college and would take care of my daughter. well a late night party followed by me and my boyfriend in my room led to another pregnancy. i cannot afford to take care of my two kids and go to school as well. end of the line i have to work to take care of my babies.

  
  

• I just want to say that I’m a freshman and honestly, anyone who thinks that college is bull either shouldn’t have gone in the first place or just isn’t trying. Even if you don’t work in the field you studied, the whole point is to be a more well-rounded individual. There are a million schools that offer a broad general studies ebucation. That way, if you think your classes are going to suck, you can choose classes that you think you will enjoy. Dealing with college is like dealing with life – persevere and DON’T QUIT.

  
  

• I have a hard time concentrating for 6 years, taking useless classes I hate for a job i might not like or get. Yet there is nothing outside of college i want to do. I’ve been screwing around for the past two years taking four classes, getting depressed and then dropping half of them…..

  
  

• I have to drop out in a few days because I’m too poor to pay. I’ve only got debt from my first three years, my job requires me to be a student, and my parents can’t and won’t help me.

  I’m desperate and don’t know what I’m going to do.

  
  

• students flunk out for many reasons. all the above are true. i am in college right now. i got 2 kids that are 2 and 3 years old. i also got a third one due in 6wks. i have tooken semesters off for family issues and perwonal reasons, but i am back and trying again. it is very hard on me right now. but i know im never going to accomplish my dreams without my career degree. thats what keeps me pushing on. knowing i need the money for my kids to have a good life and to do that i have to finish college. i was a dropp out but now im back to try again.

  
  

• It’s half and half with me. I actually go to school and work part time and I make more than enough to pay my bills and still go to school. It depends on how much you like to spend and how you handle your money if you can’t keep money and feel you have to drop out to get more. I do understand that sometimes its stressful, but you have to look at the plus side of the situation as to why you are in college. No, I don’t have any children and I’m not married, but all of my friends have children and they are still great parents who are in school and even have jobs. Its all about time management when you take on other things like school and work.

  
  

• I’m on computer programming. I’m only a year left from my degree. Everytime I have to solve an exercise…I want to cry. When I’m at class I want to cry, I have to go and hide in the bath…

  
  

• Don’t believe anyone here when they say college will prepare you for the real world. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real world is pretty much what prepares you.

  College will make you really good at doing homework and tests. You might learn something useful if you can learn on your own, but don’t expect to gain useful knowledge otherwise.

  The social connections, on the other hand, might be useful depending on your field. Is it technical or business? Then certainly. Is it one of the dime a dozen social science / liberal arts degrees? Probably not.

  The only thing you’re really getting is a piece of paper that allows you to apply for jobs (or move up in a company) that require a degree. Don’t let anyone (administrators, instructors, your parents, other students, people on this blog) tell you otherwise.

  Don’t believe me? Look at some of the peer-reviewed critical research done on higher education. They’ll tell you the same thing.

  
  

• Jesus Christ! I have never seen so much god damn whining in my entire life. This is the sad state of American youth. Just man the fuck up and get it done. All the excuses I’ve seen here can be summed up like this “…I’m a whiny fucking crybaby who was coddled my whole entire life and now I’m going to throw a god damn temper tantrum college…”. BTW, Bill Gates came from one of the richest families in the north east. Its not like he was some random bum who quit harvard and built an empire. In conclusion, you whiny fucks, you made a decision so stick it the fuck out.

  
  

• I’m not exactly sure about other colleges. But in my college, the work and demanding schedule is far too overwhelming… In order to graduate in 4 years, taking at least 4 courses per semester is an absolute must! You are also required to take at least 2 courses in Summer School. What makes the situation worse is the fact that a few of our subjects are Arabic!

  Honestly, its just way too stressful. During the finals I flunked almost all my subjects due to the poor organization of the Exam dates, determined by the college itself.

  There’s actually much more to mention but I suppose this information should suffice in order to give all you guys a general idea of college. (Or at least, my college)

  
  

• Wow, these responses have continued on for a long time.

  MY SEARCH

  I was looking for better ways to finance my return to college and my eyeballs already hurt from all the fruitless searching. Scholarship searches are not helping because many of them are small potatoes and sweepstakes to boot. I need a more sure-fire way to fund my education so I don’t have to drop out again because I can’t afford the tuition hike of $2k per year and I don’t have to stress about not having options left for when the surprises do come up. What I need are sponsors.

  BACKGROUND

  I too struggled with the “quitting is for losers” and that cost me an entire year. I had a good GPA my first year for being relatively unprepared, but I had to work my butt off for it. I decided that it didn’t make any sense to pay people to torture me. If someone were to pay me as much money as college students are paying colleges, you’d better believe I would be expected to bend over backwards … not the other way around. I should not be working that hard to please them above and beyond fairness. I gave the college a second chance by staying another year, but the academic unfairness (lack of standards) simply got worse. I gained a lot from the networking and the getting out from under my parents’ roof, etc., but none of that gets reflected in the transcript or the expensive piece of paper employers ultimately wish to see on your resume.

  ARTICLE
  1) Homesickness and Feeling that You Don’t Fit In — Was not homesick at all, couldn’t wait to get out and stay out. Fit in very well with the students.
  2) Educational Burnout — Burned out and thoroughly disheartened. Not because of the workload but because the results weren’t worth the workload. All grades are subjective in the end and that’s a lot of @$$ kissing on top of the studying just to hope they give you better than a B and didn’t put trick questions on the test that they didn’t cover in the curriculum or indicate you should study on your own. If you got an A for knowing your stuff and handing in the work, that would have been worth the effort. Even if the course was pointless (since all subjects could be interesting at a certain slant) if I knew that when I put in a certain amount of effort I’d get a certain amount of return, then it could be 4 years or 12 years and it wouldn’t make a difference because I’d find the steam to stay ahead … as opposed to putting in a certain amount of effort and getting a certain percentage chance of a random amount of return.
  3) Academic Preparedness — Was prepared for the workload and the intensity. Was not prepared for finding the extra time and money to shower professors with lavishing gifts so they would actually read your paper and grade it appropriately.
  4) Personal or Family Issues — Yes, those were stressful, but didn’t really affect my level of success at college.
  5) Financial Constraints — Many people shared stories of how they were thrown for a loop and blindsided by the college. I suppose I was naive to think that I could plan well enough to budget for college and thereby budget my time well during college not worrying about surprise changes to the deal mid-course and just focus on my studies instead of securing extra jobs and literally not having the time to study, much less sleep. Had I known, maybe I wouldn’t have entered into the deal to begin with. Then again, I was only 17 when I went to college, so I didn’t legally have much of an alternative either.
  6) Too Much Fun Not Enough Education — Education through fun! Not enough fun equals not enough education. I didn’t booze it up or go to house parties or take part in those sorts of time-wasting and potentially embarrassing things. Went to a couple just to see what it was all about and decided against it. No more escorting drunkards back to their dorms for me.
  7) School Isn’t a Good Academic Fit — The class sizes varied as much as the professors’ teaching styles and level of experience. That sort of required adaptability I could handle although sometimes I thought it would have been more worth my tuition if the T.A.s taught the course instead and they fired the professor.
  8) Setting Sights on the Wrong Major — I was, and still am, interested in everything but I was always , and still am, very goal-driven. I picked out my main degree early and attached another degree and crammed a minor into the plan. I had a “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” attitude to the strange requirements of my degrees and simply treated it as something necessary to reach the end goal, not a chore or bothersome. However, the lack of alignment and application to my major of choice was highlighted when the courses turned out to be crappy and the professors inept to boot. What was I paying for again? Even if this otherwise might have been inline with a different major, if I had selected that major, I would still have thought that course to have been a total waste of time, effort, funds, classroom space, all the work it took to book the course, and all the paper that course number and description was ever printed on. There should at least be a refund policy like when you pay to attend a program or event in the community.
  9) No Guidance or Mentors — Dand right! There weren’t enough of them in existence at the school. There were only two and they didn’t cover all the subjects I needed them to be able to cover with me and they didn’t have the time, but I made them my academic advisers as quickly as possible. Little good that did, right?
  10) External Demands, Particularly Within Part Time or full Time Employment. — Trading hours for dollars at close to minimum wage at that state, which meant below minimum wage for my state and having the lower wage for most of the year pay for the higher living expense for the whole year, during and between school. Plus tuition hikes.
  11) Time to Move Out — This wasn’t as specific as it could have been, but I loved the snow, never really seeing much of it at home.

  THE ROLE OF TEACHERS

  People here have posted that it’s not the teachers’ jobs to hold students’ hands. As a teacher now, I believe that no matter how much I get paid to teach, it is my responsibility to teach and teach well. I can’t force knowledge into others, but I can endeavor to understand their struggles and invest in them, especially those who have potential (and an experienced teacher would be able to identify such students and distinguish them from the ones who aren’t developmentally ready yet). The mark of an effective instructor is his or her ability to impart required learning with the minimum amount of effort on the part of the student. Should the student work hard? Of course! Should the student kill him/herself over academics? I think not. Way to sap all love of any subject out of a person. Teachers need to inspire and perpetuate love of learning.

  THE ROLE OF HIGH SCHOOL

  High school should prepare students for life because that’s when public education available to all tax-paying citizens end, but most human brains aren’t fully developed until they are in their mid-twenties. Not a surprise considering the raging hormones during the high school years, it’s a wonder any teenager has the self control to study and get good grades.

  THE ROLE OF COLLEGE

  In contrast, college is “higher education” and should be about the learning. It should be a privilege that one can partake in if they have accrued the funding to do so (and would therefore spend their money and time wisely). But today’s reality is that college is a business … but not a traditional business that provides the advertised service(s). Colleges recruit from a population that have very few candidates who might be developmentally ready to take full advantage of the experiences college can provide. Their expectations are often above and beyond what their customers can deliver. (Wait, who’s doing the delivering?) Because of this, it is clear that most colleges have questionable motives. Unless colleges start to switch their target audience to a more developmentally appropriate group, they would be setting up the population for very expensive failures and therefore has an unethical business structure that is bad for the nation — the debtor nation known as the U.S.A.

  If we instead accepted that colleges are supposed to prepare us for successful careers, it would certainly be an investment if colleges guaranteed job placement above a certain wage bracket post-graduation, but that would never happen. This would solve the problem that many people spend so much on their education and spend the decades following staring down student loan statements, struggling to repay them and questioning the worth of the degree.

  The other failure is marketing college as the solution for everyone and a certificate of status requirement to obtain jobs with higher status so we can all work with snobbier people who are even more fake and narrow-minded than you’ve ever associated with before to hide the fact that they are just as in-debt as you are now. Again, rage against the machine aside, that is the current reality. We either bite the bullet and go through with it like everyone else and pray that it was worth it in the end, or we can ignore it and still find success, or we can be bitter for the rest of our lives.

  SO WHY GO BACK?

  I’m not going to rub it into other people’s faces since I don’t really perceive either dropping out of college or staying in college and finishing with a degree to be a moral failure. My feeling is you don’t really know what you would decide until you are actually faced with the situation, so there have been some judgmental posts from people who haven’t been there yet. Maybe they never will.

  Sometimes the system is so corrupt, you have to get a little dirty to get to a vantage point where you can actually help fix it from. Since you can’t practice law without a license and you can’t get into the bar exam without a four-year degree anymore, I really don’t have a choice. But maybe once I get there, I’ll be able to pave the way for future generations to not have to jump through all these expensive and unfair hoops just to get to contribute to society in the capacity they want.

  If you can find a way around going to college (Lord knows I’ve tried) and still get to do what you want, don’t do waste the money! Don’t be in debt! Don’t put that kind of ethical and financial strain on your life!

  MEANWHILE …

  Anyone know anyone who would be willing to sponsor/partially sponsor me through college?

  
  

• #’s 2, 3, 5, 9 apply to me. My High School didn’t prepare me at all. It was just work, there was no studying needed. Some teachers acted like they were just there and only made things worse. They claimed their High School goal was to, “Make you into a productive citizen” okay…. Money is the root of any problem when it comes to expensive goals.. It’s what has caused issues and the ones who do have the money may go through the process, but did th3ey really acquire skills?

  Even in High School, I had no guidance. I’ve even made a Academic Adviser cry before about my explanation of how things are going for me and how I felt about the whole, “College& Overall Life” Even at my crappy Community College, the Academic Adviser there told me, “I’ve never heard such deep things from any student” Although that made me feel unique, still did nothing for me.

  
  

• Viva la Revolcion

  
  

• I was focusing too much on my social life at first…Straight out of high school, I felt so alone & out of place…I tried very hard to change that but I made a mistake trying to do so. I hadn’t developed good study habits & that brought my GPA down. Then after, during my second semester, I stupidly fell for a girl that took up most of my time, I shouldn’t have payed so much attention to her because she left anyway…My third semester in college, I decided to get a work-study job that took up a lot of my time. I was taking very difficult courses that demanded a lot of work, a lot of reading, studying, note taking, writing, that had to be done everyday of the week, I stayed in school all day & sometimes without eating, & I lost my grandmother (which I was very close to) half way through the semester. I was stressed, depressed, & very tired…I stopped going to school, I lost my financial aid, brought my GPA even lower than it was before, & I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get back to school & fix my mistakes since. It’s been over a year, I have a job but it’s not a very good one, & looking for a job isn’t as easy as it looks around here. Because I don’t have a stable job, I cannot ask for a school/student loan because I’m afraid I won’t make the payments. I had owed the school thousands of dollars but for some unexplained reason, it was cleared up, & that helped a lot. I thank God for that. So, I’m not in debt anymore, but I can’t attend school yet. There’s hope…I just pray I can make this happen because I feel like such a loser & I feel like I’ve fucked up my life even though I’m not that deep…I think.

  
  

• It took me 4.5 years to get my bachelor’s degree with three major and school changes.  So little of your actual education is part of your major that I was able to transfer all of those credits for gen ed or electives.  But I had to pull teeth to get many classes to transfer to my new major, despite same course titles and descriptions.  To top it off, the only reason I got out in that short of time was because I was under an old, flexible course plan that allowed us to choose our own courses based on the career we wanted.  On my way out, the writing department had been taken over by a lit teacher, who decided that Shakespear courses were now mandatory for those interested in journalism, as was technical writing (even if you had zero interest in pursuing it as a career).  For how much money we spend, we should be able to pick what we want to learn.  I don’t need Miss Big Brother Lit Professor telling me what is important to know, even though I read plenty of Shakespear in high school.  If I was in the new program, I would have dropped out.  As it was, not a week went by in those 4.5 years where I didn’t consider it.  I know plenty of people that did not go to college that live perfectly happy lives, and they don’t even work for McDonald’s.  Bachelor’s = success is a myth that society will keep shouting because there is too much money to be made from it.

  Sitting on the other side, with a writing degree in hand, I can honestly say that it was not worth it.  The economy and the digital revolution have rendered my degree worthless, after being told my whole life that any degree is better than no degree.  I was laid off from an office job after a reorganization, have not made enough with my freelance writing to foot the bills and would love a crappy low-paid job that college is supposed to protect you from. I’ve had nothing but crappy jobs since I graduated.

  The real kicker is that I spent 2.5 years learning skills that my advisors and teachers assured me would lead to a good job in the publishing industry. After months of freelance writing, I come to find that I love the art of writing, but hate the business of it.  Professional writing is all about lowering your standards and skills to fit someone else’s vision.  School didn’t prepare me for that.  School allows you to work towards your highest potential, but the corporate world wants mindless, easy-to-market drivel.  I’m now looking at using a handful of old medical certifications to go back into health care to actually help people for a living (certifications I gained on the job and from a tech school, mind you.)   

  
  

• And before you pro-college dorks get all upset, I know Shakespeare is spelled with an e at the end, if it even matters to the point I’m trying to make. That was an editing error on my phone.

  
  

• College is complete bullshit. It’s for people that basically want to be able to kiss their future boss’s ass, by saying that they shared the same major, college, or fraternity/sorority. If you want real long lasting experience get a job and work, believe me you’ll be so much happier, because if you’re smart, you’ll try to save your money and you won’t end up with the huge debt most college people have. For those who say that they make more than those that don’t go to college, in theory you are correct, however you are only looking at the bottom line and not at the big picture. If you didn’t have that debt then Hell yeah, you’re making more than someone like me, however, most people that go to college get obsessed with “furthering their schooling and career”. And in the end, you don’t learn anything, you don’t gain any special knowledge, you just lined a couple of older people’s pockets for their cushy retirement. Most true quote about college is this, “People go to college for the experience not the schooling.” It that is really that important to you, more power to you, however I’ve had more fun working a real job, going to a bar and/or concert when I want, and getting to enjoy my life. People that go to college will always try to push people into it, and I think it’s good for science and medical professions, however in other professions it is not really needed and is only used to kiss the college educated boss’s ass.

  
  

• College is BS!! unless mommy and daddy pay for it! Fucking loasns up the ass professor are gay!! its a big money pit con!

  
  

• I’m a freshman this year, and I really enjoy the college experience so far. I’m thinking about maybe dropping out. It’s not that I’m lazy, or that I can’t keep up. I’ve just thoroughly evaluated my life and come to the realization that theres no real reason I’m in college right now. No matter what life throws at me I’m always happy and optimistic. Getting a higher paying job in a specific field would really have no affect on me. Mostly because I’m interested in all fields. The truth is the only thing I really want to do is learn about things that are interesting to me. That’s my favorite hobby. I come from a native american reservation and I’m used to a pretty minimalist lifestyle. Construction by day, reading by night, Observing nature, forming relationships with people from all walks of life, learning about their story, that sounds like a fantastic and fulfilling enough life to me. I guess it has some medicine man like qualities to it.

  
  

• what about extreme social anxiety? severe depression, suicidal tendencies? seriously, no mention of this? Stupid.

  
  

• in my profession:

  college degree = potentially get an interview/job
  no college degree = thanks for applying

  Employers want to see: dedication, the ability to persevere in tough situations, motivation, social adaptation, ingenuity, confidence, etc … all gained in college and apparent in the interview process when conducted properly.

  Thats not to say you MIGHT get this experience elsewhere but you WILL get this exposure in college, one way or another … the degree of success is up to you.

  IMHO: get your diploma; best thing you can do for yourself, your career, your family.

  
  

• I spent the first four years post high school serving in the Navy. When I left the military I began college at the community level, and after about three semesters I have concluded that college is not really for me. First off, I feel I have learned more in the Navy then I can possibly learn in any college. Second, I have discovered I learn new things actually working in the field for which those things apply. This is a facet that is missing whole sale from the college experiance. Math classes are a great example of this. Why is math hard to students?? It is one of the few subjects taught with little to no connection to real world applications, aside from scant boring text book examples. Work experiance should be valued the same as college credits. Another huge learning resource…the internet. Todays youth can learn more about everything from the internet then they could most colleges. I now go to U of Google.

  
  

• I’m a senior at a prestigious american university majoring in a difficult field of science. I feel like I’m losing my fortitude in the face of mountains of reports to write and hundreds of pages to read this weekend. I typed into google “what happens when you drop out of college”, and it brought me here. My advice to the next person who reads this is, straight C’s would be better than having no degree at all. Good Luck Everyone, and to #76, if your country’s academia is of such a higher caliber then why are you not the world power? Think about it SGT. meth, you must not know much about America.

  
  

• I really don’t want to drop out. But it is tempting as fuck.

  I’m going for a 4 year degree. But that ends up being 5 years since I have to three more math classes all because I got a 27 on my ACT.

  But, it’s going to end up being 6 years since the program advisor is switching around some classes. So some of them are being bumped back, and that adds several more semesters.

  Also doesn’t help when the advisors don’t tell you the correct information. I went to them my first year to ask for assistance on my schedule. They make a mistake and tell me to sign up for a wrong class. More money down the drain.

  Also the entire journey is fucking painful. I wish I could just skip to my last 3 semesters of my schooling because that is where the meat of the program is. Everything else is glorfied math and general education courses.

  My brother works for Catapillar designing engines. He recieve a very good paycheck. He also attended the same school I am. Do you want to know what he told me? That probably 95% of the things he learned in his classes was useless. How to solve partial derivatives? Lol, no. What year did the civil war take place? no.

  Only thing he took from school is simple concecpts like momentum, velocity, and torque and tension. He said that he really only needed to take 4 classes to know what he needs to know now.

  Yeah,

  
  

• I’ve been in college for the past two years, I graduated high school in 2009 and I have been attending my local college since. My friends graduated this summer, class of 2011 with their Associates and I’m still struggling with remedial math. I am now 20 and honestly I feel so stressed out about math. This semester is practically almost over and I am currently failing my math class yet again. I wouldn’t say college is a waste of time, it isn’t because there’s actually classes out there that could be of your interest and possibly expand much of your knowledge. I am 60% done with my associates, and I feel its too late to give up now. But honestly I am through with math, as much as I study, lock myself in my room and do my math work, I completely blank out when it comes to taking those quizzes. I have a passion for helping others, I’m majoring in social work and I’m going for my bachelors. I seriously enjoy all the classes I have taken, as lazy as I am, I still sit around and study, do homework but when it comes to math, its a different story because I can’t seem to do good ever in that subject. College is a huge scam from my perspective. They want to stick us in remedial classes that don’t even count for your major and they want to charge us for them. Numbers show that 3/5 high school students end up in college remedial classes their first semester. Now tell me, is it a scam? of course it is. The system LOVES putting us in bullshit classes they know we have difficulty in and watching us fail time after time. They need to get rid of bs classes that have nothing to do with our major. That’s what they need to do. I cannot fathom to think that I will not be walking around with at least an Associates just because I can’t pass math, but I manage to pass every other course. I guess all I can say is just hang in there!

  
  

• Dropouts are early graduates without certification. Therefore,it is an impending futuristic danger to the development of any nation.

  
  

• I am thinking about dropping out of college because I feel that it isn’t for me. I started two years at a two year college, but didn’t get an associates degree. Then I took a year off and now I am in my first year at a different college. I feel that I am not learning anything because the professors aren’t going into detail on what we should be doing and when we have a class they repeat the same things over and over again. I am going for graphic design. (vis. comm.)
  I am just thinking about going back to the two year college to get the associates degree and see if I can just take some online classes. It’s like the college just wants your money, but the teachers don’t teach a thing that relates to your degree. I’m just confused so I don’t know what to do. Sorry if some of this stuff doesn’t make sense. I’m typing this late in the night.

  
  

• I am a long way into college.. about 3.5 years and about to complete my BA in Science of Business. The initial reason for dedicating myself to attending college was to prepare myself for competitive jobs with mid to high level pay.
  But it seemed that the 1st year I made less $ and the following even less. Well, I am a business major and what I have learned throughout the many courses was everything but how to attain these jobs that I disillusioned myself with.
  Per the previous post I think I could be categorized as “a guy who just chose the wrong major”. Or does the issue of disconnect come into play because I completed these courses online. Not sure but I am seriously reconsidering opting out of completing the rest of my education and focusing more on a potential business that I wanted to launch for some time.

  
  

• i agree with all of the ones i read. i was a freshman at a private school and dropped out after thanksgiving because i was so overwhelmed with the homework and exams coming up that i just decided to quit. high school did not prepare me at all. what so ever. and they always say ‘make sure to have the college experience’ well you cant have friends and homework. it just doesnt work. at least not for me. and all the other colleges i have looked at seem to be money pits…i’ve just given up on school…everyone is so pressured to go to college. and i believe in 10-15 years when every has degrees but no one can get a job what good will that do? the people that are telling us to go to college are the ones that lived during a time when it was rare that you got to go. times have changed and America needs to learn to be hard workers again.

  
  

• if i would drop out it would be hard for me

  
  

• I’m still taking college but I’m not taking full loads of classes. I’ve already made two mistakes in choosing my classes to get a Literary Arts Degree, taking an Intermediate Algebra Class in succession with the first part, as well as a VERY hard science class that I didn’t realize was so hard until it was too late to get money back. I’ve dropped out of another class this semester since the projects require field work that I really am not interested in and I want to see if other classes that are not partially online with that same subject will work better for me. By no means do I want to quit yet but I don’t want it to become a hassle for me. The thing is, I really enjoy being able to relax and I want to start making my own money soon so I can start paying for my own things (mainly my video gaming hobby which I’m hoping will be a part of my career path,) and I don’t really want to rush this too fast. Some of the classes I take are good and I’m glad I took them, but I’m still kinda iffy about some of the other stuff. I’m not planning on quitting just yet, and I’m willing to take longer to get the education if I need to, since I may need to get a job soon, but I hope this won’t be too big of an issue for me.

  
  

• Because of my severe depression, my immune system is weaker than normal. I started the school year with mono and over the courrse of the first semester I proceeded to have the flu three times, strep throat twice, a tonsillectomy as well as an adnoidectomy. Because of that, my grades suffered.
  My friendships suffered as well. Being sick all of the time, I spent most of my free time in bed. Though, I’m not sure if it would have mattered because I don’t drink and I have yet to meet anyone at my school who does not drink. Almost every night of the week someone is running through my dorm in a drunken stupor.
  My mom is a 50 year old widow who suffers from an array of debilitating illnesses. On top of this, my grandmother is a 78 year old widow who is getting worse as the days progress. My brother is four hours away at college and I’m the only one who is able to care for my mother and grandmother. And if that was not enough stress, my mother cannot afford the house payments so we are in the process of moving to a new house with my grandmother and I have to do most of the heavy lifting and moving furniture.
  Life is far too chaotic for me right now to concentrate on school. I know that I would be able to do it if I wasn’t so damn sick and had to spend my time moving two households into one.
  Plus, $47,000 a year for school is truly ridiculous.

  
  

• Wise Goy-I completely agree with you on the hypocritical teachers. I have this teacher who was badmouthing autistic people a couple of months ago, and it made me really mad cause most of the children in my family are autistic and it got me really upset and affected my grades badly.

  
  

• I am currently a senior double majoring in marketing and finance at a well respected university. I had to take off two semesters due to unfortunate circumstances. I also changed my major from Pre-law. I also messed up my first semester in college by partying wayyyyy to hard(I ended my first semester with a .64 gpa: C,D,WF,F,and F). I was not prepared for college and being out on my own with no curfew was a true testimate, which I failed miserably. After all that aforementioned stuff, it has put me 2 years behind. I graduated HS in 2007 and started college S ’08.

  Even with all that, I have busted my ass in school. I have made Dean’s List repeatedly and I am now sitting at a pretty nice 3.24 GPA, considering. I am not saying college is easy or that college is for everyone. I quickly noticed when I was dealing with personal/family issues that college was for me. Since I was home during those 2 semesters I took off, I hung out with people from my high school. The ones that never attended college because they were still living at home. It was a HUGE eye opener. Friend #1 works as a cashier at Publix. Friend #2 is a daycare sitter making nothing. Friend #3 is unemployed… They all had no clue with what to do with their lives. It was sad and when I returned to school pushed in harder, even with all the depression I was dealing with.

  I am going to be taking the LSAT and the GMAT sometime before I graduate. I’ve just now started studying for the LSAT. Law school has always been my dream, but if I couldn’t get in for some reason I didn’t want to be stuck with a worthless Pre-law degree. That is why I changed to Marketing/Finance.

  For those who have become succesful without a college degree, I am happy for you. Those who are sitting at home bitching and whinning that they aren’t happy with their lives and hate their minimum – low wage paying jobs… Just remember, in a bad economy, those without a degree in the lowest paying sector are the ones that lose their jobs first. Reason being, they are easily replaceable.

  With that being said, I am going to go grab a drink and continue networking until I graduate. Best of luck to you all!

  
  

• I am one of the top students in my university. I’ve got a professor who always annoys and humiliates me. Therefore, I decided to get back my pride and respect in front of my friends. I have thought it is time for payback, so I printed many papers showing that my fucking professor is a whore.As a result, I was dropped out of university.
  Now, I am trying to get back into college,and ,at the same time, I am looking for a job for not keeping time go in vain.

  
  

• Hey college-goers.

  I have to agree with those who say college is a place to go learn how to learn.

  I went to college starting 2002 and pursued a B.A. in Asian Studies; I also went to China on a school program. I wanted to be a translator in Mandarin. It never happened because I did not achieve fluency during my short stay, and could not get into the Master’s Program I wanted. I would have had to go back to China for years and years, losing contact with my boyfriend (now husband) and my friends.

  I made the choice to try something else, but I completed my degree first. I felt like it was useless at the time. Nowadays, bachelors-of-arts don’t get you far unless they involve management (or make you fluent in Spanish/Chinese).

  I later received an A.A.S. and certification as a vet technician. I got a 4.0, which felt great. I learned how to work really hard! However, the job ate me up emotionally and after two years working at it, I quit. I love learning about medicine and chemistry, but the nursing part just wasn’t for me. However, I wouldn’t have learned about any chemistry if I hadn’t gone to school for my certification.

  My suggestion? Go to college if you can. If you like it, get into computers, the sciences, engineering or medicine–that’s where the money’s going. If you don’t like these, try doing what you like, maybe working a little on the side to gain some job experience. That’s what many hire you for, usually: experience working with other people. Maybe you change your mind on what you want to do. But isn’t that life? Isn’t it cool that you can find new things to learn?

  I want to try pharmacy now, and once I get my husband through nursing school I’m going back to get a PharmD and hopefully one day a Ph.D. in Chemistry. I want to be a compounding pharmacist, and even though the salary is a perk, that’s not what I really care about at this point.

  If you learn how to learn you might just learn where you can go. And remember, money pays the bills, but it won’t make you happy.

  🙂

  
  

• College is deeply flawed. I’m a grad student right now and have hated every minute of my graduate and undergraduate education. It’s all so pointless. As other people have noted, the universities treat you like a commodity. They accept you, charge you astronomical rates (tuition, books, dorming and parking fees, etc.) give you a diploma, and move on to the next generation. It’s a business and I don’t care what anybody says. It’s also an inefficient business. Colleges simply don’t provide what people need to succeed in the real world.

  Professors are more concerned with their independent research than teaching you anything. They don’t know how to teach because they are not teachers, they are academics. They know how to read and write, not how to properly explain material to students. They don’t even care about students. They are only there for a paycheck and funding opportunities. When they do teach it’s usually some ideological propaganda.

  Everything that was taught to me in college I either knew, or could have learned with a simply Google search. The only reason why I went is to get that piece of paper. That is all college offers — a mere piece of paper saying that you passed your classes. They don’t prepare you for work life.

  
  

• @T. Roy

  How’s that going for you? Realize with your little degree you are just as replaceable as your little friends there?

  Its not what you know, its who you can pay to get the shortcut. To quote Immortal Technique, “Only little people pay all those taxes and fees” If you work for money you are a little person. if you bitch and complain about the price of gas, you are a little person. The world is a college of corporations who are determined by the bylaws of BUSINESS by people who are BETTER THAN YOU because they don’t just inherit wealth. They ARE wealth. You will NEVER achieve what you think you can. Go try it. YOUR WORKING CLASS MONEY AIN’T FUCKNIG WITH ME.

  Thanks America for the bailouts 🙂

  Lulz. Do you understand the entire monetary system is a fucking joke, essentially invisible chains?

  haters gonna hate, until it happens to YOU…

  
  

• For me, I want to drop out more than anything. Incompetent administration and professors, paired with classes that don’t relate to my major in any way, all on top of the fact that my husband and I are now looking at the possibility of me being a stay at home mom/homemaker (no, we don’t have children yet) really make me realize that this is not where I want to be. Despite this, I am stuck in school because I can not afford to pay back financial aid that I have received and loans. I am actually thinking, like many others, that I may have to continue my education after I receive my degree, just to continue the deferment. The feeling of being stuck makes me hate being in school so much more.

  
  

• Allison – Consider online schooling. I am actually disabled and can not keep any set schedule because my disability affects my sleep and often times my ability to walk. Have you ever considered online courses? I am taking online classes (which obviously has the same problems as on campus classes, as well as a few others) and I don’t think I would have made it through a single semester if I was on campus. The biggest problem I see with online schooling in comparison to campus classes is that teachers sometimes disappear for days or weeks at a time with absolutely no contact with the class.

  It may at least be a way for you to get through it because even if you’re sick and can’t leave your bed/couch you can still get a little bit done.

  
  

• I already have a degree, but I recently went back to school a year after graduating for a different major, because there are no jobs in my field. I feel like it was a huge mistake to go back now. The first few weeks were great. I love talking to professors, and I love learning.

  However, in college you’re not really there to learn. You’re there to follow professors ridiculous demands and try to keep up with the staggering amount of work they give you. Some professors have a reasonable workload for their students, and some ask way too much.

  For one thing, two of my professors this semester are asking us to bother several business professionals and make them come in to speak in our class or talk to us for interviews in person when an email would be much more convenient. EVERY professional our group asks says no. Nobody wants to drive all the way out to our little redneck town to sit in a classroom! They have lives! They’re busy! And then the professors glare at us like it’s OUR fault we can’t get anyone else to follow their ridiculous demands. My grade shouldn’t be affected by the lack of people willing to do meaningless charity work, basically.

  I wanted to go back and have a real career. Now I’m not so sure. I think I might just say fuck it and not go back next semester. I’m probably better off being a stay at home mom than putting my future kids in daycare to get sick all the time, and focusing on my writing and such. When I went back, it had been so long that I forgot how much college KILLS my self confidence. I am constantly made to feel that I’m beneath everyone else. I just can’t handle this a second time. And for what? In this economy I’m not gonna find a job anyway!!!

  
  

• Ah, must add that my first degree was not one of those bullsh*t degrees like philosophy or womens studies. It was in Broadcasting. A very technical field. I should have been able to find a job. But I didn’t get any of the connections or internships or help that my school promises. At all. Even after begging for help.

  I think college is becoming a waste of money. In the 90’s and before, it meant something. It means nothing now.

  
  

• I dropped out of college because I wasn’t happy with the institute that I joined. To begin with I was forced into pursuing Engineering, mainly because everyone in my family things that’s the only career option available in the world.
  Ive been staying home for the past 6 months. Still quite uncertain on what I should do. Also, college was a huge financial burden on my mom, who is a single parent. I felt terribly guilty not being able to help her out.
  My brother who is already working without a college degree makes decent money. He said that once I decide on what I want to pursue, he would fund for my education. (Education loans in my country come with a scary interest rate)
  Its a scary phase, because Im aware what a college education can bring you. A good life, with a purpose and an aim. Working without a college degree can only take you to a certain level, after which you stagnate. My mother didnt have the privilege to go to college, and thats why she’s depressed that I dropped out.
  I aim to join a course that both interests me and can take me places by June this year. For anyone else who has family or financial issues, find a way, make it through college. An education is vital for a bright future. If people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are your excuse for dropping out, ote that these people were geniuses with a set idea of what they wanted to achieve. If you arent there, you’re just being incredibly stupid. Something like business management, finance and marketing can land you a decent job.
  Dont be lazy. Pick up a book and read it.

  
  

• First off, I don’t think you should judge people for saying they are going to drop out telling them they will work at McDonalds. So you mean to tell me that if you have a BA/BS and don’t remember a thing that you learned at the time because you only learned enough to pass that you are better than someone who may have tons of more knowledge than you? Yes its true in the professional work this is how employers look at it which in some cases are very sad but don’t judge people for their decision. If you do not agree, let them make their mistakes and move on with your life. After all, you shouldn’t be concerned about them.

  
  

• Obama is a fucking nutjob, he is really screwing with us, with the obamacare bullshit that they forced into us, and no interest in improving education, he doesn’t do anything. He is a much worser president than George W Bush.

  People, fight for what you believe in, get everything while you still can.

  
  

• I go to UCSD, and so far I’ve had the illness, educational burnout, and potentially setting sights on the wrong major. However, one additional thing to remember is that unfair professors and the teaching style of professors at certain universities can also result in drop outs. I was unlucky enough to realize that all my professors made maddeningly difficult exams in the sense you can never be adequately prepared even if you know all the material. They play nasty little multiple choice games and change their verbage just to mess with you. If they make mistakes on the final they won’t tell you about them, they’ll just watch you squirm.

  Also, my lab was run by an iron fist and yet neither fist spoke enough English to avoid confusion. If college was really about learning instead of watching teachers murder students with bullshit I’d be doing just fine. (Also, I managed a A- in the chemistry class so it’s not like I’m failing)

  
  

• As a 46 year old male that found success in sales and marketing at an early age, I quit to meet the demands of the job and bathed in money for year. I worked as an executive in television advertising, recruited by internet giants to sell national ad campaigns and eventually recruited to head a division of a $125 million per year private construction company. I was never looking for a new position, I was always recruited to develop businesses and increase revenue growth typically by 1.2 to 2X previous earnings.

  in 2010 the company I worked so hard to grow and make millions, the owners decided to cash in, close the doors and within 4 weeks I was looking for a job for the first time in my life at age 43. After becoming the victim of fraudulent investment partners in a new venture, I found myself stripped of everything I earned in my career and part of the numbers game in trying to gain employment.

  Armed with many years of great success and a great employment history; executive at a fortune 100 company, certification in all microsoft applications, PMP certification and many more, I found employers have so many applications for every position that the screening is performed on the basics to weed out candidates. For positions I have been highly recruited and fought over for in the past, I found myself screened out from even discussing my success and experience since they do not even consider anyone for an interview without a 4 year college degree.

  Yes, I have enrolled and started working toward my degree again, however, now that I am almost finished with my bachelors degree, the competition is even greater and I am being told a masters is required for the level of employment I am seeking to move laterally with a new company.

  So, after losing my life savings, my house, selling luxury vehicles for economy cars and bankruptcy, I can honestly tell all young adults: GO TO COLLEGE BEFORE CHASING THE MONEY! The cost of goods may change but a DOLLAR WILL ALWAYS BE WORTH A DOLLAR. If you are satisfied with the idea of never making more than $50-60,000 per year after 15-20 years fo working, than ignore this message. If you want to ensure you will have the opportunity to make more, advance the furthest in any career and have the job stability that most people desire GO TO COLLEGE AND NEVER STOP FURTHERING YOUR EDUCATION!

  
  

• College is for upper-middle class slaves. That’s why I quit. I can make WAY more money than most college graduates (over 100K) without the stupid degree. Waste of time and money imho.

  
  

• […] of the leading causes of students not doing well away from home is homesickness. The best thing you can do is stay connected. A strong support […]

  
  

• agreed with #346. I attended UChicago, Northwestern, and professors would teach badly on purpose just to get rid of people. The exams were so impossible that, even if you knew the material you still weren’t guaranteed to do well. I quit studying towards the end of my sophomore year, and yet someone passed all my classes without turning in homework, or preparing more than a couple hours before exams. and it’s not that I’m so smart; I’m just good at making shit up (yes, even math).

  I’m curious how people get well-paying jobs despite no degree. I guess it doesn’t help that I don’t know anyone. my ex keeps telling me to come work for the navy, but I think I have to graduate first.

  
  

• Our son, was left an educational trust fund, but it was contingent on him “passing” and having “character”. He was on academic probation after semester one. We sat him down and went over all FREE help he has available to him (in his first year) and that asking for help is a good thing.
  He lied and said everything was going well, and he met with an “advisor”, as required due to AP.
  Second semeter: “I promise I will do better. I want to finish here with my friends”. Another lie, and he never went for free tutoring or study groups that were available.
  He did party and go to the gym and pretty much everything, but his end of the bargain.
  He cannot even get a summer job, because he has only done community service, for his high school years, and he was traveling with the Robotic team, most weekends. Funny employers frown on volunteer work.
  I am going to step back, because I clearly cannot fund him through the trust, he violated the conditions. His 2 cousins BOTH got their degrees already. Neither of them were as intelligent, now were they offered any scholarship. One private university, offered him a full scholarship in their honors pre-med program. He wanted to go to UCONN. They were the only ones who offered him nothing. He ended this spring semeter, with a letter, saying he has not met the minimum requirements, so he is done.
  I vote he has to go to Manchester Community College, and initiate it all on his own wiht no help from us. Working a minimum wage job for a year, would knock some much needed sense into him, I would hope.
  I am type A, and I do everything yesterday.he is not disciplined, and you cannot teach that. His character screams procrastination.
  I just do not know what to do at this point. I told him when the car insurance bill comes, the car will be garaged and he can ride his bike or take a bus.
  Things once paid for, will no longer be. We all have to do things we do not want to, and he is no exception.
  He is lost in his video game world, and he needs a major “boot camp” experince at this point. Ungrateful, disrespectful, immature, and a sense of entitlement.
  I am taking some much needed “me” time off, and walking away from this nightmare. His lying is worse than flunking IMO. He has done it before, I gave him another chance, and he did it again, with no remorse at all. Its like he has no conscious, and that, scares me.

  
  

• I have some problems with the school. Coz the school learn full time and I have no time to work out to find money in order to support my learning. and I spend a lot of time at school but I feel getting a little knowledge. It does not answer what I have done.

  
  

• I’ve been in college for 1 year and I hate it. I did very well my first semester in all my classes, but the amount of homework teachers give is ridiculous. My second semester; I took a math class and received a C in the class. I had A’s and B’s on all my exams, and I got an A on the final, but still got a C. The reason was due to “not spending enough time on homework.” Excuse me, but some people can’t afford to waste 2 solid hours on homework if they already understand the concept and have other subjects to work on. Not only is homework becoming the center of most teachers’ teaching tools, but the books they make us buy are rarely used in class.In a good sense, I bought a book for interpersonal communication studies, which was never used, and learned all of the material through lecture. This was because this professor actually taught us what she was supposed to teach. I only used the book to reinforce and follow up on what we were taught that day.

  The classes in college are overcrowded as well, and it annoys me that I end up wait listing on my registration date. College is starting to become a hassle to deal with. The prices of books are rising; classes are extremely overcrowded; and most teachers don’t know how to teach effectively.

  If anything, I would rather work a full time job and learn, what I’ve always wanted to do, to program video games on the side as a hobby.

  
  

• I’m still a student at uni but I fantasize about dropping out a lot (not that it’s an option for me to drop out my family would practically disown me). It really doesn’t have anything to do with learning or education, it’s all money, stress, and how quickly you can get stuff done.
  I work incredibly hard. I make great grades at the expense of my mental health (I have generalized anxiety and depression). There are some days that the stress gets to me too much and I have mental break downs regularly which have lead to hospital stays and no one seems to really care as long as I’m getting all my work done. I remember when I was raped my freshman year and almost failed multiple classes because rape is no excuse to not be on top of my game writing papers and preparing presentations. I think the only reason I was allowed to drop my education course is because I quite shamefully broke down sobbing in my professors office when I was trying to ask for a W instead of an F, I could tell she still really wanted to fail me. And it sucks to know I’m doing all of this just for massive loads of debt and loneliness (who has time for contact with other human beings?).
  Also the semesters that are only a few weeks long are awful. It’s like I could ace chemistry no problem if I just had the time to learn it. Or I could have passed my Biology final no issue if I had longer than 45 minutes to answer over 100 questions. It’s not a measurement of knowledge at all, it’s a measurement of speed. Who can sacrifice the most and get the most done in the shortest amount of time possible, and all of this to not even be guaranteed a job. It really can make you question the absurdity of being alive at all. I don’t really feel like a human being anymore, I am a drone.

  
  

• I dropped out after freshman first semester because I knew I wasn’t in the right place. I really liked combat, so I joined the U.S marines. Then after boot camp I felt like I was actually getting somewhere. Im proud to say that I got accepted to sniping school because its not easy.

  
  

• I’ve read about a hundred of these comments and I don’t agree college is all that bad. Personally I actually loved the work at mine and even thought that I could handle it at one point. However like alot of people I couldn’t afford being here in and once that happens it feels like new world, and the thoughts of dropping out came flooding my head. I would love to stay if I had the money, I would like to have some experience in what I want to do, but also probably should drop out and at least try to get myself and my family financially stable. I have a single mom and my grandmother working hard as ever just to keep bills paid at home. To them the illusion of college is highschool. They’ve never been to college and I’m the first, I don’t want to let them down but I know that I shouldn’t be here. I like to write, I write poetry, make short stories, and even said I wanted to be script writer one day. If I stay in college I know I could never pay those loans. I already owe 4k! I’m contemplating whether I should just leave now and get a job to help family out plus pay the 4k at the same time. I know they’d be disappointed but I know that they’d understand financially I couldn’t do it. I really don’t want to say goodbye to the wonderful people I actually did meet here who can afford this, but I know deep in my heart I don’t want this enough to let that bill increase to over 60k! At least paying 4 sounds slightly attainable and when I feel ready financially to return I will. I guess this sounds like I should drop out, well… I don’t know.

  
  

• Reason 8 why one would dropout of a class in college.
  another reason to dropout of English 1A the teacher emails bad messages to you about a essay paper, which your working on in the writing lab, after she gets too close to you in a group study part of the class, which makes you feel really uncomfortable, she may just want to help you but theirs this uncomfortable feeling about her when she gets to close to you in your class desk, she sits right in front of you, during what she calls group projects, and since in the high school special ed classes , they never normally make you go into groups, working on projects by yourself your normally better, at but of course that English 1A teacher non-DESP class, doesn’t get that, and emails you back , plus your in the process of moving at this time, and you may be thinking about how people behave in that TV show pretty little liars which you like, but have really nothing to do with her behavor, around you during her class group projects, where you get a group grade in class. you of course didn’t want to talk to the campus people about what was really going on which you feel is her reason for writting her very nasty email message about your essay 1 which you where in the process of working on in both writting labs, the DESP writting lab and the normal one, and since that was your last year their you didn’t want to talk about it with them.
  well that sums up my real reason for dropping my first and last english 1A class.

  
  

• Good luck finding a job that doesn’t need any type of diploma or certification or degree that makes 60k per year or more.

  
  

• I respect those who goes to college and I also respect those who had dropped out of college. College is for some people; it’s not for all. The only thing that pissed me off is that we’ve been brainwashed all the time that the only way to be successful in life is to go to college only because degrees can translate into success. It’s true that with a degree, you’d get better chances at finding a job. However, like many people mentioned, no matter how smart you are but if you have no skills then you’re not even consider for something big.

  From my own personal experiences, I learn best by doing things in life, not classrooms. And I believe that is the best way to turn constant iteration into true innovation. Also, knowing a lot of people and having a lot of connections is the most easiest way to succeed.

  
  

• I have spent 1 semester at a local college and am confused on whether I should transfer to a tech school. My parents & grand parents have told me that they are disappointed that I am planning on transferring. The thing is, I am not taking any history classes and I am only passing my classes with D’s. Even though it may be disappointing, I do not think a four year university is my cup of tea. The material is uninteresting, I have bad social skills, and am not having much fun at all. I mean it is okay, but I take all these bullshit courses and the only reason I came there was to do History. I love History but throughout high school I hated every other course. Some were okay, but they were nothing compared to History. I was told that going to USCA was going to be great but a lot of hard work. I realize how hard it is. I am scared about failing, that is why I want to transfer. But not everybody is college worthy. I can see that now. It is very tough and I feel very unprepared. I also fill a bit uneasy due to the grades..

  
  

• I attended a four year school about 15 years ago and shortly afterwards tranferred to a votech school due to money and problems I had with the 4 year school. To be honest if I could have done it over I probably would have gone to the votech directly and saved myself a lot of time and headache (and money) but don’t interpret this as saying that a 2 year school is better vs a 4 year school. Not all schools are created equal and quite a few of them are crappy to be honest. The 4 year I went to in SD was a pile of junk despite it being highly rated and beloved by the community in general (I suppose if you haven’t gotten out in the world you might think this college is the greatest thing since sliced bread.) and I had a lot of issues with the professors and staff at the college basically being jerkoffs and the school being an overpriced daycare, to make a long story short. The 2 year school had better staff and was overall better relative to the previous school but still wasn’t great (I actually took a couple more classes at this votech a few years later and the school has noticibly dropped in its quality). I’ll admit that my study habits weren’t the best in college and I wish that my high school did a better job of informing me of what to expect in college…oh, and combine that with family problems and just a crappy community in general (schools in SD are bad to begin with).

  On the other hand, and I hate to sound like an elitist jerkoff myself, I do think that smarts will win out in the end as opposed to ‘life experience’ or ‘work ethic’ or whatever else is being pushed by employers nowadays. Employers have their reasons for why they are looking for a certain person to have a certain degree or mentality. From what I’ve seen many employers push for college degrees not because their jobs legitimately require them (most corporate jobs don’t really require much beyond a middle school education) but because they figure they can get those people with the degrees. Are they going to pay people more because their job requirements ask for a 2year/4year/10year degree? Not always. The business world waters down wages all the time. What the business world wants, unfortunately, is someone who will spend the time to go to college/trade school/whatever and put up with the employer’s games and low wages until the employer can toss them out, wash, rinse, and repeat. As long as the general public believes the rhetoric of the business world (it’s not just the big scary corporations that do this) things won’t really change. If I am LMNOP Corporation (privately owned and for profit) and I want someone to fill, let’s say a lab technician job, of course I want Biology PHDs to apply and hope that I give them a job (at $500 per week no benefits and you better be a team player with a TREMENDOUS corporate buzzword tolerance, LOL). Increase the applicant pool and employers can get what they want, for the most part. There’s nothing new here.

  
  

• College only works nowadays when you need it for your job. Most jobs I know of are hiring people without degrees or people who had major connections into the company. I’d rather pull a Mark Zuckerberg any day. My degree did not get me into any doors. I opened those doors myself. You’re welcome to debate the part of “Was College A Good Experience?” I’m not discussing the experience here. You might love/hate it. Either way, it will not help your career much except for cases like becoming a physician.

  
  

• I am going to drop out from college because of I am too committed to the job and I can’t study anymore. It makes my heart bursts and money makes me smile.

  
  

• High school students make it through high school (duh) because…of internal and external pressure. Without pressure, would anyone graduate, let alone accomplish anything? You are “required” to go to certain classes and therefore under conditions in order to graduate. Parents, family, whoever, tell you, because of guilty, forbearing reasons of future consequences. If you don’t graduate, then you_. Most people around this sensitive age don’t really know where to go. It is just part of teen culture nowadays. Part of being independent. Part of America as I know it now. Friends and their circumstances influence you, and some people compete in order to be the best graduate with the highest GPA, and vice versa. Maybe…pride. That nice high school diploma. So many more to think about. These are some reasons people graduate high school, if they do.

  People stop, because they don’t have the pressure, the support, the love, the money, the confience, the ability, the motivation to continue on the path to college. Yeah, people have their reasons. I think we should be able to respect that. Hmmm. I honestly know the feeeling of looking down at someone, thinking they are dumb. (I do it everyday.) It is just being human. We are so twisted, no? Some people don’t continue, because they are human. People hold back from college, because of the human thing. Also, because of God. Because of their heart, beliefs, thoughts. Whatever you want to call that force.

  I wanted to answer these two questions, because I wanted to confirm that the reasons for dropping out of college (or high school, or life) is real. It’s not some game. These are people trying to take control of their lives. Whoever you are. I think we need to realize that there are things we may be able to do, but there is a time and place for everything as well.

  
  

• I went to tech school IT was a big thing in 90’s but I already felt the whole thing was flat. Horrible educators and even worse paying the damn tuition fees on time. At some point I actually ended up taking out a loan big mistake. Education is just a business, at some point their using you like butt wipes. Unless you can afford a prestigious school or are just a bleepin lucky genius. Chances are you won’t be running a fortune 500 company anytime soon.

  Many years today, I got an online diploma for Autodesk software. No effin middle man crap, went straight for what I wanted got exactly what I needed. If you excel at computing keep going, if you don’t don’t be discouraged by many of the online schools. Just pursue it, eff expensive colleges and universities. That stuff isn’t worth the hassle. Even if it isn’t computers your still good, pay for what you want to learn then work on your life goals.

  On a side note:

  Indie games are the best place to start now a days. With mobile and VR starting to kick off.

  Maya LT + Mudbox + ZBrush everything here for making art. Couple that with Unreal or Unity 3D you can make something in your basement.