The first year after high school is daunting. Are you going to University or Community College or a trade school? Are you going to take a year off and get a job? Earn some money. The reality is most kids aren’t clear on exactly what path they want to take forward. Many kids want to get a post-secondary education but aren’t sure what they want to study. But here are the simple facts. In Canada, 30-35% of first year students drop out before they even complete the first year. They cite burnout, overwork, stress, pressure, money worries, isolation, and loneliness as the main reasons for quitting; and that doesn’t even consider COVID-19 and the effect it’s had on young minds.

The simple reality is most first-year students fail because they are not prepared for real life outside the safety of high school and living at home. Most kids show up at college assuming it will just be a slightly bigger version of high school, but here is the problem with that assumption. The difference between high school and college is you aren’t considered a kid anymore. Yes, you are technically still a teenager, but you are no long going to be treated like a kid. You are going to be treated like an adult. You’re going to be expected to go to classes on your own. Not because you have to like high school, but because you agreed to take that responsibility on your own. That’s your money or your parent’s money or a student loan or even a scholarship paying for your classes and books and living space and food. And that means you alone are accountable now.