Going to college is becoming increasingly expensive and unless a student has a family with enough money to cover the costs, student loans and scholarships will need to be secured. However, loans and scholarships don't always completely cover costs. Many freshmen find it difficult to find a job that covers the rest of their expenses while allowing time for proper course attendance. Either the pressure of work and class gets to be too much or the lack of funds causes students to drop out.
Some freshmen have a hard time transitioning into the college dorm life. They miss home, their parents and everything else left behind. This is especially hard on students who live so far from home that they cannot travel often. Depression can set in, and the freshman student may feel unprepared for the college experience and unable to complete coursework. This can lead to low grades, academic probation or electively leaving the school.
In high school, it's often possible to coast along to the end goal of graduation. College is more about succeeding than it is about passing, with academic blocks put in place for those who don't do well. Some students feel overwhelmed by the amount of coursework required. Academic burnout may result in freshmen coming home for a break and never going back to college.
While some may get homesick at college, others find the experience to be freeing. Freshmen students no longer have their schedules dictated to them; they are free to make their own choices. Unfortunately, some kids take this freedom too far by partying as often as possible and missing classes. Grades start to slip and unless the student works extra hard to stay afloat, she may not return the next semester.
Sometimes a student goes off to college only to find that the school or the chosen major doesn't meet his expectations. Maybe classes are too large, the school's rules are too strict or the program the student is enrolled in doesn't fit his needs. Rather than go through the stress of finding a new university, transferring and potentially having to stay in school longer to meet degree requirements, the freshman may choose to leave the college life altogether.