Are high school students ready for college?
Many of them aren’t. According to ACT Inc., only 23% of recent high school graduates, who took the ACT test, were prepared for college.
When the ACT examined its latest crop of statistics, the test maker concluded that less than one in four high school graduates was academically prepared in these four key subject areas: English, reading, math and science. That certainly helps explain why roughly 44% of undergrads drop out.
This week a high school counselor asked peers on a college counseling website to suggest what skills are essential for college success. Here are some of the answers he received:
- The ability to resolve conflicts.
- Speaking and presentations skills.
- Researching skills.
- Math skills.
- Writing skills.
- Technology proficiency.
- Time management. (The all-nighter will never disappear.)
Is your high school student deficient in one or more of these skills? I wouldn’t worry too much as long as he or she graduates with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
As I mentioned in my previous college blog post, The Secrets of Succeeding in College, high school students who earn a “B” average have a significantly greater chance of surviving college.
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes a college blog for CBSMoneyWatch.com.