Despite all the hoopla about the need for college (fortunately, that’s fading but still has many people under a spell) and the ease of getting the money for it from Uncle Sam, a surprisingly high number of students fail to complete their college applications. Why?
In today’s Martin Center article, Liberty University student Kristin MacArthur examines one reason. She writes, “According to a working paper released two months ago by the Annenberg Institute, nearly 25 percent of students who applied to college during the 2018-19 application cycle started but never finished their application. Though non-submission rates varied widely (by, e.g., race/ethnicity, educational plans, parental educational attainment, etc.), one application characteristic was vastly different for successful applicants and non-submitters: completion of the application essay.”
Interesting — quite a few students who think they want to go to college bail out over the need to write one rather short essay?
She continues, “Instead, the Annenberg Institute’s findings may indicate that students opted out of the application process upon hitting a roadblock that couldn’t be cleared in a few moments. To fill out a form takes only modest effort; to write an essay is a different matter.”
Perhaps those who balk at having to do a small amount of writing are better off not going to college. And perhaps colleges would be better off if they didn’t have to accommodate “students” who don’t want to do much work.