By the time many seniors reach graduation, they’ve already dedicated years of their lives to becoming the person their ideal college wants to enroll. Students pile on extracurricular activities, take hard classes, work jobs and get involved in community outreach, spreading themselves thin to look like well-rounded, overachievers on paper. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s unhealthy to invest this much of your life into the idea of college, and here’s why:

No college is perfect.

Why is this a problem?

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, in 2015 more than 1/3 of all college students in the United States transfer, and then half of those who transfer do it more than once.

This has lead to an epidemic of unfinished degrees and students taking typically about six years to complete a four-year Bachelor’s degree. During this time, they pile on years of more student debt, and credits don’t transfer so they’re forced to retake classes, which compounds dissatisfaction with their schools. Meanwhile, most college campuses and programs are designed for full-time, traditional students of 18-22 years of age, so older, non-traditional students who have to balance school and demanding lives face even higher transfer and drop-out rates because they are enrolled in schools that are not built to nurture them.

What can be done about this? The answer is simple: Don’t fall in love with college. No college is “the one.” If you go into the admissions process with this fact in mind, you will not be disappointed when the college of your choice betrays you by not living up to unrealistic expectations.

If you have transferred schools, or dropped out without completing your degree, you may not even have to risk falling in love with the wrong school again. Through college credits earned combined with work experience, you may have already earned the degree you seek. To learn more, visit thecareerpeople.com.

 

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