November is a month of disillusionment in recruiting. Not for recruiters but for potential leads. You see, college is not for everyone. In fact, only about 50 percent of freshman actually graduate 4 years later, click here to check your college's stats. But. . . almost 100% of high school seniors think that college is for them. And then there's the college freshman. They haven't had their first finals week yet. They haven't gotten their grades back yet. They still have time to cram at the last minute but that last minute is fast approaching. Now here we are in the middle of finals week at most American universities. A lot of those freshman won't be returning in January, and I firmly believe that there is no shame in that (if college truly is not the best thing for them at that time *see note). They could very well be taking a first step in the right direction.
Now please don't assume I'm anti-college, I'm currently pursuing my third degree. I just don't think that 3 walls and a chalkboard for another 4 years is the right environment for a lot of 18 year olds. I also believe that you can achieve those same goals through a non-traditional route, such as joining theAir Force Military.
*I also believe that there are definitely times that someone feels like quitting and should push through that first reality check wakeup call and continue their education. In no way do I think that all freshman dropouts should be commended
** Another issue here is timing. As I mentioned, I'm pursuing higher education, but when I was a 17 year old High School graduate, I knew that going off to college would be making a bad choice. I was mature enough to know that I was too immature for college. I've grown up a little since then, and the timing is now right for me to go after a degree.
What do you think? Do people blindly go to college (13th grade) or are teenagers legitimately researching all of their options to find the one that best suits meeting their goals? If so, why the dropout rates evident on the website I linked to above?
Now please don't assume I'm anti-college, I'm currently pursuing my third degree. I just don't think that 3 walls and a chalkboard for another 4 years is the right environment for a lot of 18 year olds. I also believe that you can achieve those same goals through a non-traditional route, such as joining the
*I also believe that there are definitely times that someone feels like quitting and should push through that first reality check wakeup call and continue their education. In no way do I think that all freshman dropouts should be commended
** Another issue here is timing. As I mentioned, I'm pursuing higher education, but when I was a 17 year old High School graduate, I knew that going off to college would be making a bad choice. I was mature enough to know that I was too immature for college. I've grown up a little since then, and the timing is now right for me to go after a degree.
What do you think? Do people blindly go to college (13th grade) or are teenagers legitimately researching all of their options to find the one that best suits meeting their goals? If so, why the dropout rates evident on the website I linked to above?
6 Comments:
It's been a firm belief of mine since about junior year of high school (4 years ago...damn, it seems longer ago than that) that people are pushed to college. Actually, I'm kinda realizing that now about myself as well...in AFROTC for now but thinking about dropping out and enlisting.
Anyway, I would agree that people are pushed towards college. If you come from anything close to a "normal," suburban, halfway well off high school, you're given one option after high school: college. The only other even viable one is the military, but the acceptance of that obviously depends on the region where you live.
I would add, though, that something to consider with the stats is that 5 years of school for an undergrad degree isn't that unusual nowadays, especially with a technical degree. Example: I go to Iowa State, and we have a lot of engineering/tech students...the 4 year graduation rate was only 29%, but the 5 year rate was at 60%.
Like the blog, btw...nice to see another airman out here. We're pretty rare.
I agree that college isn't for everyone. But in today's world the schools are making it look like if you don't go to college, your life is over. I am not anti-college either, it's just that I see those kids who aren't ready for college every day. You mentioned that some kids aren't ready for college because they're not mature enough, but lets also mention that some aren't smart enough. If a kid gets less than a 17 on the ACT or less than a 40 on the ASVAB I think we can all admit they might not have the academic ability to go to college. Just my two cents!
You are dead on.
Wow. I hate school. Even on-line school. I go to AMU, which is so easy. It's not that I am bad at school, I just don't like it. I got a GED and had to be waived into the AF. Hurray!
I was just talking to my husband about this. I wasn't ready for college right out of highschool. I wanted a little break before I started in on it. I was given a few scholarships my sr year and because I made the choice to stay out of college for a while I lost out on the opportunity to use them. I think that a kid right out of highschool should have a year or two to use their scholarships, because most of them are not ready for the pressure of college right out of highschool. What would it hurt to give them a break and let them take some time to mature a little before going into college? It would cut down on the dropout rate and give everyone who goes to college a greater success rate.
My friends husband, who is in the Aiforce, wants to go Recruiting, what advize do you have for him?
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