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Why We Quit

In: English and Literature

Submitted By kdraloly
Words 2090
Pages 9
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Aug./Sept. 2007, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 74-79

Copyright © 2007, Scientific American. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Why We Quit

By Yvonne Raley

•In the U.S., more students drop out of college than graduate--yet six out of every 10 jobs require a postsecondary education. What causes so many students to squander their future?

In her 20s, Diana dreamed of becoming a scientific illustrator. She had not yet attended college, so she was thrilled when she received an acceptance letter from an undergraduate graphic arts program in New York City. But her excitement gave way to anxiety during the first days and weeks at her new school. Fretting about her performance, Diana sought out her professors for comfort and advice. She found them aloof and difficult to contact, however, because none of them posted office hours. When Diana reached out to the chair of the art department, he either was unavailable or expressed little interest in her concerns.

Diana's academic fears were unfounded--her first semester grades turned out to be quite good. But lacking contact and support from her teachers, Diana felt lonely, dejected and lost in the crowd. She was so disillusioned, in fact, that she abruptly dropped out of college--and never went back. Now 38, Diana teaches English as a Second Language part-time for an international language school. Her pay is $10 per hour, and she has no opportunity for advancement.

Stories like Diana's play out all over the country. Graduation rates at public four-year colleges and universities hover at around 40 percent of entering students. Their private counterparts fare only slightly better; 57 percent of their newly minted freshmen go on to graduate. Two-year public colleges have a worse record, graduating fewer than 130 percent of their students. The record has not

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