Filling in the High School to College Gap
Current high school students are told and prepared from day one of entering their next four years of academics that college is the next stepping stone to being successful in life. From college entrance preparatory exams, to weekly counseling sessions, high school students are given information on every detail in regards to getting accepted to a four year college. What this atmosphere of college readiness does not give high school students is a chance to evaluate themselves and develop characteristic traits required to be successful in college.
With the major emphasis on receiving an acceptance letter to a college and attending right after high school, most students are left clueless and unprepared in universities with tuitions costing around $10,000 per year. From personal experience and observations, the majority of 18 year olds do not have the mindset and commitment that is required for college. A certain level of maturity is vital to succeed in the demanding courses needed for various college degrees. The pressure from parents and high school college counselors is not a successful combination to study for a career, whereas an older, more mature individual who is enrolled because he/she is motivated to achieve their career goal is.
Phrases are often thrown around and posted on high school campuses negatively criticizing those who choose to work instead of attending a university. This sort of labelling is what causes many young students to drop out of college, by forcing them to enroll in a path they were not ready for. Although 18 year olds can definitely have strong ideas and motivation towards a certain career goal which they wish to strive for, other factors and traits such as coping with stress, time management, and responsibility are essential to fuel these career aspirations. As Hirsch (2010) explains, “they [high school students] come to college acutely aware of their past failures and lack of readiness and this feeds their self-doubts about whether they will be able to succeed.” Even working just 1 to 2 years can drastically improve the above outlined characteristic traits, and transform a young student leaving high school into an individual matured and equipped to handle the large work loads that will be given in colleges.
As of today, many high school college counselors have become aware of these issues resulting from students entering colleges without career goals planned. “Strategies range from academic preparation to psychosocial and behavioral supports and the development of appropriate habits of mind (such as organization, anticipation, persistence, and resiliency),” Jaeger (2013) describes. These practices are a strong start to combat the negatively painted idea of increasing the high school to college gap to develop individuals’ maturity, responsibility, and mindset in achieving a career goal at a university.
References
Hirsch, D. (2010, June 4). The High School to College Transition: Minding the Gap. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://www.nebhe.org/thejournal/the-high-school-to-college-transition-minding-the-gap/
Jaeger, L., & Venezia, A. (2013). Transitions from High School to College. Future of Children, 122–123. Retrieved March 3, 2017, from http://www.futureofchildren.org/index.html