After First Year of College, Students Have Some Regrets And Satisfaction

ONE YEAR OUT
One year after graduating from high school, most members of the Class of 2010 believe that earning a college degree is “definitely” worth it, according to a survey released by the College Board. The comprehensive survey on college readiness and affordability, One Year Out, explores how young Americans assess their high school experience and its role in preparing them for life after graduation  — be it work or postsecondary education. This survey was done with 1,500 students, one year after they graduated from high school in the class of 2010. Four in 10 of those students had gone on to a four-year college; one-quarter had enrolled in a two-year college; 6 percent were in trade school or a job-training program, and one-quarter weren’t in school at all. It delivers a variety of messages. Forty-four percent of students, for instance, said they wish they had taken different courses. The biggest regret is not taking more math, science, and writing-intensive coursework in high school. But only about half the respondents wished they’d worked harder in high school, and only one-third said they think high school graduation requirements should be tougher. (The ones who say they wish they’d worked harder, by the way, are not just those who struggled. They include large proportions of kids who got good grades and went on to college.) Source Gay Clyburn, Carnegie Foundation