Survey Says: College Still Worth It

College Board survey offers a ringing endorsement for postsecondary education.

As college costs continue to outpace inflation and as an increasing number of college grads are finding it difficult to land a job, you wouldn’t blame high school students if they were to think that college is more of a bust instead of a gateway to something better. However, that would be the wrong conclusion to draw based on the results of a College Board survey which surveyed students who graduated high school in 2010.

One Year Out

In its “One Year Out” survey, the nonprofit College Board asked the high school class of 2010 if college was still worthwhile, with 86 percent answering that college is certainly worth their time and financial investment. Of those surveyed who are not currently in college, 76 percent agreed that college is worthwhile, suggesting that they would be in college right now if they could afford it.

The College Board also found that 9 out of 10 students agreed that post-secondary training is necessary as high school isn’t sufficient to prepare students for work. Even with persistent economic challenges weighing in, two-thirds of those surveyed said that they are somewhat or very optimistic about their chances for career success following college. Still, one-third of the responders indicated worry about their job prospects following college.

Money Matters

Financial concerns weigh in for most students with 5 of 9 students stating that affording college is a challenge for them. Importantly, for those surveyed who are not attending college, 56 percent noted that affordability was a key reason why they weren’t presently enrolled.

The College Board survey also revealed that many first-year college students have received a wake up call, with 54 percent finding college harder than they had expected. Some reported having to take remedial courses to bring them up to speed with 16 percent stating that they had yet to finish their first year of required courses. This means that such students must take summer classes or increase their class load if they’re to graduate with the class of 2014.

School Curriculum

Of significance were the comments made by students who felt that high school did not go far enough to prepare them to take on important life skills such as managing their personal finances. Students would have also taken additional writing, math and science courses while in high school had they understood just how important these subjects were in college.

See Also — Kaplan Survey Reveals Rising Seniors Are Busy This Summer

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