: Common Challenges that Prevent Undergraduate Students from Finishing School on Time
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(421 Words)
Although many consider the typical undergraduate college stay to be four years, many students instead stay for five or more years. There are some common challenges that prevent undergraduate students from finishing on time.
Party too hard and do poorly in classes
College is a big change for many undergraduate students. They may be accustomed to having mom and dad looking over their shoulder, making sure that they follow a straight path. Suddenly they are on their own. Some of these students may enjoy the social scene a little too much in school. They may blow off classes and figure that they can make it up. In high school, many teachers give second and third chances. Things are different in college. In many classes, if you fail one test you will fail the class. Undergraduate students who do not take this seriously may end up failing classes. They may need to do the class over again, which can delay their degrees.
Even if a student does not “party,” they still might not be as diligent with their homework and other assignments as they should be. Most college classes are far more difficult than high school classes. The students may be used to waiting until the last minute to study. With much more challenging classes, they may find that their efforts are not enough. They may find that they cannot get the grades that they want.
They keep switching majors/do not know what they want to do
A lot of undergraduate students are very unsure of their future. They may not know what major they want or have any idea of what career is right for them. It is not unusual for an undergraduate student to constantly switch majors. If they keep switching, they may end up racking up courses but not have enough in one particular area to get a degree on time. They may have classes that do not count as their core classes and have to start some prerequisites over.
There are also many other miscellaneous reasons why an undergraduate student may need to stay longer than is customary at college. They may get sick and need to take a semester off. Unfortunately, many students face financial problems. They may take a little time off to work. They may work while they are in school and not be able to take as heavy a workload.
Various challenges can affect the length of time one is in an undergraduate program. The above challenges are some of the most commonly faced.