According to the Irish Times, recent studies show that almost 24 percent of students don’t complete their college course and we can’t help but wonder why? For parents, who are struggling financially, a child who drops out of college is putting a huge set back in their education and career prospects.

However, I think all parents would agree that continuing education in an area your child does not see a future in is counterproductive. The key is to prepare students for college and ensure they are committed to the tasks ahead and furthermore, that they have chosen the course and profession that they are happy to do for the rest of their lives.

According to the Higher Education Authority, men are more likely to drop out of college than women and moreover, more students drop out that have won places in lower point courses or interestingly, technology institutes.

These insights offer some information yet, they can’t clearly define the foundations of student dropouts and why it happens. Higher education is extremely stressful, and students have a lot to adapt to, in the early months of their new education system.

For some, it is overwhelming, and they may miss their friends or, indeed, have made a mistake in choosing a course. Some students choose courses at age 17 – an age that surely is not mature enough to consider long term prospects.

If students are a tad bit older, one would hope they have more experience in life to analyse their future goals and prospects. There are students who from a young age have no questions about where their future aspirations lie, and this is truly commendable but somewhat rare in youths today.

Many students must decide on senior cycle subjects at age 15 and again, this could potentially harm their college selection if they choose a subject and discover they needed something else for a certain course.

There is also, a sense of confusion too amongst young students who may have notions on what they are studying. The reality is, college and study are considerably difficult, and the experience is not for everyone. A future job in a certain area may sound awfully interesting until one must study the basics and groundwork of the long-term processes.

It is fair to say students must face issues and not only face them but get over them to spur them into action for the consecutive years ahead in college.

Some ways to reduce the chances of students dropping out include preparing them for what lies ahead. Students need to be aware of the challenges ahead. Ask yourself is your child ready to make this big decision and if they will be extremely young finishing school try and encourage them to do transition year.

This gives them an extra year to think about their future and get some real-life work experience too. Talk to your child and be open with them, as hard as it sounds if they need a year out, to decide, let them take it as forcing them into a college course they have no interest in is silly. Support your child as they start college and if they must move away offer them regular opportunities to visit home.

Contact them often and chat to them about their new friends and how they are settling in. Remind them that you love them and want the best for them and hopefully, their college education will be a successful one.

Good luck!