High school is one of the most stressful and nerve-wracking periods of any person’s life.  Any particular aspect of high school makes one’s heart rate increase: standardized tests, quizzes, papers, sports, clubs, after-school activities, and, most importantly, that college resume. Everyday, millions of high school students are reminded that their current activities will greatly impact their future. However, according to CollegeBoard.com, the majority of today’s scores on the admissions test for college-bound students are showing us that high school students are not fully prepared for what is ahead.

     According to ACT.com, 39 percent of test takers in the class of 2015 met three or more sections of the ACT’s college readiness mark; this leaves us with one third of whom failed to meet the passing mark.  ACT found that graduates who took a core curriculum class were more likely to meet college readiness. Even after reaching college readiness, according to usnews.com, only 75 percent of such students actually pass a freshman course in a given subject.

     Several factors could possess the blame for this. Campustechnology.com claims that students believe high schools fail to promote standards of high achievement and create an environment that tempts students to “slide by.” The site also claims that schools prepare students for verbal communication and practical skills, yet they fail to provide students with the academic and critical thinking skills vital to graduating from a university.

     Such failure creates negative consequences that reach beyond the personal life of each individual. In 2015, 60 percent of newly hired employees that recently graduated from high school required additional education in order to perform their tasks. Additionally, the majority of college students claim to struggle academically, not expecting the mental demand of the university style curriculum.

     Could it be that colleges need to adjust to the new generations of students, or that the students need to better adjust to the colleges?  Is this even the responsibility of these specific students, mostly powerless in their own education, or society at large?  Must we ban together and enforce the wildly absurd concept of informative education?  Yes.  We must, and through a few key steps.

     First and most importantly, high schools must form a more challenging atmosphere. When students possess the option to “slide by,” they often will. Second, they must work to create a curriculum with a balance between practical skills and academic studies, such as teaching students how to obtain living spaces, balance a checkbook, or file for loans safely. Finally, colleges must use standardised tests as a measurement of students’ progress rather than a statement of what they accomplished in high school.  Creativity, passion, love and determination all make a good student, not a 4.0 GPA.

 

The years a student spends in high school and college often become some of the most beneficial in their entire lives. However, both establishments must operate in harmony in order to fully provide young men and women with the experiences necessary for a successful and fulfilling life.