It’s growing, the amount of Latinos enrolled in colleges nationwide. Now that more Latinos are starting college, we need for the amount of those that complete a degree to increase as well. There are several reasons why most Latinos don’t finish college.
One of the biggest barriers for Latinos is the financial commitment one has when starting school. Think about it for second, a student enrolls in college and realizes that thousands of dollars has to be turned in at the end of the semester to pay for tuition or they can no longer take courses. The easiest answer is to have students get a full-time job while they are in school. Although many would agree it rarely happens because so many classes starting out are only available in the morning. Yes, some schools have night courses and some jobs are flexible with students but most are not.
So what happens is the student ends up either having to take out heavy loans which if one does it for the fall semester they are likely to do the same for the spring semester. This of course causes a snowball effect to take place and students finish with loads of debt.
Another reason why students fail is because they lack mentorship. Not just somebody that points them in the right direction but somebody they can call and talk to on a weekly basis. Students who are mentored by somebody who has also completed college are likely to finish as well. There is something about following in ones footsteps and having them readily available when you need motivation.
If you are Latino and you have finished college, I urge you to look for one person you can mentor up until they finish college. You know what it’s like to want to quit, you could be the reason that person finishes.