Students who enter college married, or choose to marry and start a families while in college, face the added financial burden of having to provide for their families. After college loans are spent, many of these students find that part-time employment is not sufficient to pay the bills, forcing them to seek better employment or longer hours and moving school to the backseat on their list of priorities. Managing these additional responsibilities adds not only to the financial responsibilities of students, but also to their daily stress levels.
The academic demands of collegework can be overwhelming to new students. They rely on their high school education to provide the foundation for their college work and may find that their foundation is not enough. Additionally, college professors expect a higher level of dedication and out-of-class study time from their students that previous high school teachers expected. Universities do provide remediation and counseling for students who experience problems making this transition, but it is the responsibility of the student to make use of these resources.
College is an expensive time in a student's life, with tuition, textbooks, lab fees rent, butility ills and food costs quickly adding up. School loans help but students often find themselves in over their heads financially. If a student's family is unable to help alleviate these burdens, these responsibilities become solely the student's burden.
Colleges offer specific degree plans that direct students from their first semester in college to graduation, but students may find their interests changing as they progress through their education. Late changes to a student's field of study can add years to their class requirements and force students to make the decision to stay in a field that they do not want or invest the additional years that a preferred degree would require.