Should I drop out of college?

College Life
1

I lack the mental acuity to be admitted to a prestigious grad program and procure a six-figure salary - just look at my SAT scores:

CR: 620
M: 550
W: 510

What’s the point of getting a degree from a mediocre public school, attending some TTT, and eventually slaving away for a 5 figure salary?

2

Are you in college currently?

3

This is a joke, right? Pooh-poohing a five-figure salary? “Five figures” covers all the way up to $99,999. Most people can manage on less than that.

4

College is not necessarily a the only (or best) way to make money, despite what many are told. However, college grads do earn more on average. Your SAT score, while not the best, is in the 71st percentile (maybe a bit off, depending on when you took it). That’s better than 71% of college bound students. Additionally, if you look at lists of schools with the highest earning grads, they’re not all prestigious. You need to ask yourself whether the investment you’re making is worth it. If you’re not paying much (I assume you’re not since you mentioned a state school) and you enjoy what you’re studying, I would advise you to stick it out. I think that you give too much credence to the misconception that smarter people end up wealthier. Some definitely do, but not always. I also think that you should study something you’re interested in. Don’t major in something because those majors supposedly earn more money. If you hate it, it’s unlikely you’ll do well. In contrast, you have a better chance of succeeding at something you enjoy doing. I wish you the best of luck with your college and career.
p.s. Sorry, just thought of this. Case in point: my dad didn’t like high school and slept through most classes. He did just enough to squeak by. When it came to picking a college, he applied to several mediocre schools. He decided to go to University of Toledo, in Ohio. The main reasons he picked that school was because they had many casinos and he was great at pool, and because he had a cousin that wasn’t too bright that went there and did well. He worked hard in college, but didn’t really have a “plan”. He chose classes based on how interesting the professors were and ended up with a major in British history, psychology, and political science. For lack of anything else to do, he decided to go to law school at Toledo. There he worked extremely hard and got a scholarship. Today he is quite successful, thank
G-d. Anyway, my message is that grades aren’t everything! By the way, the SAT doesn’t indicate college success, so despite what your preconceived notions of your abilities are, you may be able to do very well in college.
Also, I was an average student before high school, but before I went, I made the decision to change. None of my siblings really care about their grades, and my parents don’t push me, but I knew I could do it. I’m not trying to sound like a cheesy motivational poster with my elongated pep talk, but I think it’s important for you to hear.
Feel free to message me.

5

Military?

6

lol this kid has too many silver spoons in his mouth

7

@OhSorryYo maybe, but it could just be genuine concern. He wants a fat salary and is afraid that he’s wasting his time.

8

I’m inarticulate, rely entirely on rote memorization, and struggle to write essays on abstract topics. I have no business pursuing a White collar profession and don’t see why colleges even bother admitting anyone with a sub-1800 SAT.

9

Hmmm, from what you have been writing so far, you seem quite articulate to me. I don’t see what you will gain by dropping out, but you have quite a lot to lose. You could work at McDonalds and earn five figures a year, or work in a career and earn five figures. I am guessing the latter choice is more appealing.

10

Ah yes, I see the edit from @rusticsack re. sub-1600 SAT. I will play.

What’s your major, OP? Comedy at Humber College? Puppetry at U Conn? Cannabis Cultivation at Oaksterdam U? Adventure Education at Plymouth U? I wish you luck as you venture forth into the frightening world of work. Hopefully your writing skills, which are not reflected in your very poor SAT scores, will serve you well as you navigate your way through all the collar-levels of work.

11

I wish I were t rolling. I’ve spent 10 hours trying to write a coherent one-page philosophy short-response. The average student would probably have something presentable within an hour.

12

Not necessarily. I hate philosophy, it’d take me forever. :stuck_out_tongue: Have you asked your professor for help? Maybe to see if what you have so far is headed in the right direction?

13

@rusticsack your writing is well above average, judging from the small sample we have have seen here. For future assignments, I recommend you pretend you are just writing a post on CC. In fact, I consider myself a rather good writer. If I like it, your prof will like it. Get writing, and pm it to me. I will give you feedback, promise.

P.S. College isn’t supposed to be easy. And tests don’t mean everything, assuming you aren’t a roll with a t.

14

A few ideas/thoughts to consider:

  1. You've given the CC community here very little info to base their recommendations/opinion on as to how to answer your question. Kind of hard to give good advice if we don't know more of your situation.
  2. Who you are as a person is not totally defined by your SAT test scores.
  3. Should you drop out of college? I don't know. Should you? What do YOU think? Why are the reasons you think that you should?
  4. Are there specific subjects you are struggling with or is every class hard?
  5. What is it about your class(es) that is difficult?
  6. Are you currently at a 4-year university or a community college?
  7. What was your course load like in high school?
  8. The best things in life are the things that you have to work hard for.
  9. Lots of college students successfully complete a degree despite having something like a learning disability or unique medical condition.
  10. Maybe you are just not ready for college at this stage in your life. There's nothing wrong with that. So go out and get a full time job, figure out how to support yourself, do that for awhile, and then reevaluate where you want your life to go.
  11. There are plenty of careers that do not require a 4-year degree, yet you can live a comfortable life and not be in the poor house. Usually, those non-college-degree jobs DO require SOME sort of training, though. And community colleges often offer programs like that...and that costs a lot less than a 4-year college/university.

Only YOU can decide whether or not you should drop out. We don’t know your situation, your unique circumstances, etc. Should you drop out? Sure, go ahead. But don’t drop out just because some people on College Confidential say that you should. Consider the pro’s and con’s of BOTH choices and then make an INFORMED, well-thought-out decision that you feel is best for YOU personally.

However, don’t expect anybody to just hand over a good paying job to you for nothing. Even WITH a college degree, you have to work for it. Most college grads do not graduate with their BS/BA earning a 6 figure salary. Figure out what you’re interested in and pursue that and success will likely follow.

Unless what you’re interested in is theater arts, in which case, I’d recommend that you find a day job that you can live with while you pursue theater arts in your spare time. We have friends who have Master’s degrees in theater arts and even with 15 years of experience, they have to struggle to pay their bills in that industry.

15

Sticking it out and graduation seems like the rational choice, but I’m finding it hard to get over the humiliation that I incur on a daily basis e.g. giving egregiously wrong answers or bloviating incoherently when called on during class. I’m in good company, and I’m nonetheless capable of getting the requisite grades to graduate, but I hate having to be reminded of my stupidity every day. I hate being that kind of person and I’d probably commit suicide if it weren’t for my misguided self-preservation instinct.