In 2010, only 34.8% of all 67,924 college students graduated in four years in California. After high school, many students look towards the future. Whether going into the military, starting work, or beginning life as a college student students make their own choice. College students, however face many struggles through their times in college which leads them to quitting and just abandon their life as a student at a college. College dropouts are a problem in the American education system. This problem will have dire effects on those dropouts as well as other aspects such as financial and health problems. Many factors ultimately push the students off their path to a bachelor’s degree and end their dreams of ever becoming a doctor or maybe even a businessman. Along with those causes, there are serious consequences for those college dropouts.

One effect that happens when a college student drops out of school would be that a huge debt must be paid back and since they dropped out it turn to be a wasted investment. Students looking to go to college, then dropout have no answer to pay the money back which they were hoping to find a career with a college degree they wanted. Students often put a lot of money into college, thus putting them into debt. When the payments are finally too high for them they cannot afford to stay in school and all the money they put in is for naught. The students are under so much debt after dropping out and have nothing to show for it. That college degree they were hoping to receive at their graduation in non-existent which they were hoping to use as a tool in order to become successful.

Who knows what career a degree could have got them into, maybe a well-paying job that would keep them from going broke from paying all the loans they used to go to school. All the money that could have been used in order to gain knowledge will be down the drain and the student now would have a harder time paying back those loans and supporting themselves. This also affects the schools and the taxpayers. All the money they are putting into paying and helping students with their schooling has nothing to showing for it. The millions of dollars that are being put into paving the way for the students financially do not pay off and instead money is lost. This slows down the whole country as there are less available new young workers to fill the positions of new work.

Without a college degree, students earning potential are much lower than those of graduates. In order to pay off debts from loans to go to school and bills, students have to find a source of income and without a degree, finding a job is much harder. Dropouts have a harder time finding a job than those already with a degree. With a bachelor’s degree, it is easier to find jobs as many opportunities are now open.

A cause of college students dropping out is the amount they have to pay for tuition. Today’s rate for California State University Long Beach is just over $3,000 for just one semester. As many students do not even have a job it is difficult for them to support themselves after paying for tuition and also pay for supplies they would later need for classes such as textbooks. A report from the Public Agenda for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows the students from the ages of 22 to 30 years old shows state that their main reason for leaving school is their problems with financial stability. From my experience as of today even now I have a problem having to pay for school at CSULB. Luckily I have financial aid because without it I would it I don’t think that I could have survived the first semester of college.

Family problems such as having kids during school, or taking care of a sick family member could cause someone to leave college. Having to spend a large amount of time away from thing such as studying for an upcoming test really hurts the students in the long run. This hurts them because it keeps them preoccupied with things that they need to accomplish which is their dream of finding a career in their major and pursue it.

Stress develops which may be from the numerous personal problems. Rising tuition make students actually have to think about what they buy next. Most students already have to juggle work and school at the same time (Johnson). I know for a fact that going to college is a hard task even now as a freshman, there is more homework and students have to pay for everything themselves. I understand why most students drop out because they cannot handle the pressure.

Another cause for college dropouts is their scores on exams. Of course doing bad on a test will make students fail your class as this is already obvious. Lots of factors also cause students to do poorly on their exams such as stress and financial problems One final cause for students leaving college early is their lack of motivation and preparation. As most students say their high schools did a poor job in preparing them for their next step in life stated from a survey by Public Agenda (Crosseley). In college students have to manage their time socially and their time for school. Prioritizing this time is now critical of the all the times spent in school. Being bored really will not help you succeed in receiving a bachelor’s degree in your hand. For the many college students that attend today that go to college it may be a hard task. Still, college dropouts remain a problem in the American education system. Causes such as stress, boredom and rising tuition only promote this problem as students find their way to that lifelong goal of being a doctor or a teacher. In the end, college dropouts only promotes for failure as a whole for the education system.

Works Cited
Johnson, Jenna. “Majority of college dropouts cite financial struggles as main cause”. The  Washington Post. 8 December 2009. Web. 15 October 2013. Kokemuller, Niel. “Effects of Dropping Out of College on Students”. Global Post. Demand  Media. Web. 2 December 2013. Crossley, Leonor. “What Are the Causes of College Dropouts?”. Synonym. Demand Media.
Web. 2 December 2013.