With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them

Public Agenda recently released a study, underwritten by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that took a deep look into the realities of college students these days. The basic question to be explored was, at a time when universities are receiving record numbers of applicants, why has the United States fallen to 10th place in college completion rates internationally?

The study, “With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them,” examined the issue from the perspective of the student, surveying hundreds of young adults who had attended college and then drew comparisons between those who graduated and those who left without a degree. Jean Johnson of Public Agenda found the results to be very different from the common image of higher education. She said that many view college as “a place where a young person goes and they become an adult.” But the reality is, according to Johnson, that “so many of them are already assuming adult responsibilities.”

So why do just one in five students who enroll in two-year schools graduate within three years? And fewer than half at four-year colleges earn a degree within six years?

The reality, as presented in the research, is that most who leave college without a diploma are working to support themselves and attending school at the same time. The tipping point for the large number ‘going it along’ financially is when the stress of work and study just becomes too taxing.

More than half felt that a lack of guidance in the process and subsequent ill-informed decisions contributed to their departure. They also reported that they didn’t fully understand the impact that dropping out would have on their future.

What would help? The students who did not graduate sided with flexibility. The top response was to allow part-time students to qualify for financial aid followed closely by offering more courses outside of the traditional school-day hours.

The full report is worthy of some time as it might help everyone understand a role they can play in helping students both prepare for and navigate the journey. Here is a look at what some students had to say about the obstacles that they have faced in earning a college degree.