7 Things College Students Wish Every Educator Knew

Earlier this summer I had the chance to sit with Dr. Tim Clydesdale, author of The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School.

His current project (which I think will be released sometime this summer or fall) is on college students collectively.

The research he conducted with high school grads (many of whom went off to college), that was presented in his first book, was carried on and was the focus of our conversation.

With all of his time spent with college student, he identified 7 common themes that were prevalent throughout all of his conversations. In fact, these are the things that students wish WE all knew — and took into consideration — as the people who walk with them:

1. They’re really busy. Doing what? Well, lots of stuff. But the two primary things boiled down to navigating relationships and managing gratifications.

2. Money makes their world go round — though they barely realize it. That’s why they’re attending college — and why they’re expecting it to “pay off” once they graduate.

3. College is making them smarter — even though they don’t remember much. Research supports that learning is indeed taking place, but it also shows that 80% of what is “learned” is forgotten after 30 days.

4. Deep thinking (about themselves and the world) is a lot like eating broccoli… They know it’s good for them, but they’re just not that…