Dear Editor,

It has come to my attention that enrollment in higher education has seen a drastic

decrease in recent years. This has been happening nationwide even in our own backyard at YSU.

Students are leaving high school and have no direction on what they want to do in their lives.

Our high school systems are not helping these students feel ready for life as an adult. Many

students are left to fend for themselves in applying for college and financial aid. This is leading

to students being pushed away from college and feel that they are not prepared to go to college.

While schools do provide some resources, many expect the student to approach a counselor

when they have questions. This is highly unlikely to happen as much of the application processes

take place outside of school where they do not have these resources. Many parents of students

also do not know how to help, and in fact these processes can cause many fights in families. I

propose we have school counselors meet with all junior and senior students at least 1 or 2 times a

year to discuss and help students with these processes on an individual level. As well as bring

outside help with things such as college choices and FASFA to speak to all students even those

who may be thinking not to continue their education. Offering these resources during school

hours will make it more accessible to all students as some may not have any form of

transportation to attend these programs if they are held outside of regular school hours. This will

help build confidence in our young adults and help set them on the right track if they do decide

to continue their education. I think with these few simple changes we can see a large growth in

readiness for college in our young adult population.

Sincerely,

A Concerned YSU Nursing Student