–Ronniesia Reed, Perspectives Editor
The importance of education is something that is stressed to most people from an early age.
Many people have supportive parents and family members who push them to graduate from high school and go to college. Even with the support of loved ones, a large amount of students are still dropping out of school.

The Huffington Post cites the teachers as one of the potential reasons for students dropping out.

“The least-experienced, least classroom-trained teachers are often assigned to the most difficult schools. They enter the field with the expectation that they have been adequately prepared by the schools of education with the skills they need and they haven’t received,” said Franklin Schargel in ediotorial for The Huffington Post.
Reasons for high school dropouts seem to be easier to understand. Reasons for college dropouts are a little more complex. Making it into college is a big accomplishment, so the decision to dropout should be taken seriously. Not to mention, college costs are steep, so quitting after already taking out a loan that you will eventually have to pay for could be a bad decision.

The cost of college is not a reason students should drop out, but at the same time, it is a big reason they do. There are many reasons students might decide not to finish college: too much stress, not enough money, family issues or not feeling prepared.

Although high school and higher education are on two different levels, they are both important and go hand-in-hand.

The blame for not being fully prepared for college can be put on high schools. Sometimes, high school teachers let their students slack off because they just want them to pass.
Being nice is not always the right thing to do, because those students who got a “pass” for doing mediocre work now have to come to college and do real work they are not prepared to do. Just because a student is not fully prepared for college does not mean he or she should just drop out altogether.

A community college or tutoring might be a better choice. One of the most helpful tools on our campus is the free tutoring offered by the Academic Support Center. It is located in the Marks Building room 122, and they can be contacted by phone or email.

Not being able to maintain financial aid is another main reason
students drop out. “The financial aid system is not yet flexible enough to accommodate the different ways of getting students educated,” said Robert King, president of Kentucky Council of Postsecondary Affairs to The Huffington Post.

“As the system is reconsidered and hopefully redesigned, it will take into account these other emerging ways of getting a college degree and that requires more flexibility.”

The system for financial aid at all schools has set rules for giving money. Making these rules a bit more flexible would probably help many students. Financial aid choices are also something that could be addressed in high school. Having a class that focuses on financial aid and how to handle the stress that might come with college could potentially help students. Many students who walk away from high school feel it was just a waste of time, and the high school education system should work on this. All students should walk away from high school feeling fully prepared for higher education.

Students should feel like they are wanted. Teachers should not just be teachers to students; they should also be friends and mentors. There are many students who are not being pushed at home.

These students need that one person who will push them to not only go to college, but to finish it. There are many education majors at APSU who should take these things into consideration when stepping into their career.

Staying in school goes beyond high school. Students have to be pushed in college as well. College dropout rates and graduation rates have been discussed for years, but there is still no particular solution for making these rates go down.

Preparation, financial aid assistance and support from loved ones are all essential to college dropout and graduation rates. There are many reasons to stay in college, but it is important that they are stressed to students. When a student goes to college it is easy for he or she to lose sight of their original goal.

There should be lots of positive energy around students to promote encouragement in fulfilling their initial goal in college. Students need to be reminded of the great things that college has to offer: like better career opportunities.
The more we are educated, the better we are as a whole. Networking opportunities are one of the most attractive things about college. Meeting new people that could potentially be business partners is a huge plus. Although college poses a financial strain now, it could potentially help to put more money in your pocket in the long run. TAS