Why High School Students May not go to College

I have been working with high school seniors this past week asking them what their plans are after graduation.  Some say they are going to college, some have no idea what they are doing, and some say working.  I was surprised to hear that out of 144 seniors, 20% of them are not going to college.

I came across an article on Scholarships.com which gave a few reasons why students might say no to college.  The first one was not being able to afford college.  Some students do not realize that they themselves might be able to afford college with the help of grants, scholarships, loans, work study, financial aid, and FAFSA.  Another reason might be because they are happy with the job they have now.  However, they do not factor in the future when they have bills to pay.  Their high school job most likely will not be enough to support them in the long run.  Students also tend to blame their reason for not going to college on their grades.  For some that may be true, but there is always a community college that is much cheaper and can help improve grades.  The last reason might be because their parents did not go to college.  They see their parents as doing great without a college degree which might be very true.  However, things are different and they do not realize that is not the same for everyone.  In today’s world it might be hard improving in your job without a college degree.

https://www.scholarships.com/resources/college-prep/preparing-for-college/why-students-dont-go-to-college/

 

 

Teen Pregnancies

Relating to my last post about “Peer Pressures”, teen pregnancy may be forced upon through peer pressuring.  Many students are pressured into having sex when they may not be truly ready.  They might do so in order to “fit in” with their friends, because everyone else is doing it, or because they feel it is just the next step.  Many teens do not stop and think about the consequences that may follow sex such as pregnancy.  Today 3 in every 10 teenagers will get pregnant before the age of 20.  Teen pregnancy is also the highest leading result to high school drop out rates.  Over 50% drop out of high school and of those 50% only 20% receive their GED’s.  College degree rates have also lowered due to teen pregnancy.  Only 2% of teen moms receive their college degree before the age of 30.

To see more teen pregnancy rates I have attached a link below.

http://www.ncsi.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-affects-graduation-rates-postcards.aspx

Some reasons why teens may face teen pregnancy may be due to lack of parental support, their own parents being teen parents, or lack of education on having safe sex.

For more reasons and results I have attached a link below.

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2012/11/14/high-school-dropouts-blame-lack-of-parentalsupport-teen-pregnancy

Peer Pressure

Over the course of my internship a few students have been coming into the guidance office to talk about other students pressuring them to take part in activities they may not feel comfortable taking part in.  For example, pressuring their peers to skip class, steal, cheat, use drugs or alcohol, have sex, etc. (AACAP.org, 2015).  Students might give into these pressures because they do not want to face the risk of being bullied or not fitting into the group.

Below are a list of ways one can stand up to peer pressures.

1. Stay away from students who may pressure you.

2. Say “no” if you feel uncomfortable with something.

3. Try to find a new group of friends that you feel comfortable with.

4. Talk to an adult for help to stop peer pressures.

For more way students and parents could help I have attached the link below.

http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Peer_Pressure_104.aspx

 

High Students Drug Usage

I came across a survey done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse asking teens and youths about their usage of drugs and what types of drugs.  Since 2014 drug usage has either decreased or increased rapidly among high school teenagers.  The chart below illustrates the type of drug use and its amount of usage between 8th graders and high school seniors.

Over the period of drug use alcohol, cigarettes, prescription pain relievers, inhalants, synthetic drugs such as bath salts, and illicit drugs have decreased.  However, while the usage of marijuana has remained the same the view of its affects have decreased.  In other words, teenagers do not see marijuana usage has harmful or dangerous.  Over the past month 21.2% of 12th graders have used marijuana, while 6% of them use marijuana daily.  Marijuana is the mostly commonly used drug because it is viewed as “easy to get” (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2014).

If you would like to see the full survey and other drug usage percentage I have attached the link below.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

Alcohol and Drug Abuse among Teens

Many teens during their high school years will experiment with drugs and alcohol not realizing the damages and consequences that may be linked with drug and alcohol abuse.  Many teens will use both legal  drugs such as alcohol; prescribed medications; inhalants; and over the counter medications, and illegal drugs such as marijuana, stimulants, LSD, PCP, opiates, heroin, and ecstasy.  The use of drugs and alcohol abuse is highest starting at the ages of 12 for alcohol use and 14 for drug use, mostly marijuana.  Once the teen has experimented with drugs and alcohol, the likelihood of using more will increase.  This may result in later drug use in life, school failure, and poor judgement causing increased violence, unplanned and unsafe sex, and suicide.  The likelihood of a teen abusing drugs and alcohol may be linked to a family history, depression, low self-esteem, and those who feel unwanted or excluded.

Ways to prevent a teen from abusing drugs and alcohol include looking out for warning signs such as physical, emotional, family troubles, school problems, and social problems.  Other means of helping include talking to the teen and having them become aware of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse both now and later in life.

If you would like to read more about drug and alcohol abuse I have attached the link

http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Teens_Alcohol_And_Other_Drugs

Teens and Suicide

High school students may struggle through a number of issues, one being suicidal thoughts.  According to Michelle J (2012) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 to 24 years old.  Unfortunately, the rate of suicide seems to increase every time a teen is giving access to a weapon- guns being the highest method.  Some teens may also turn to pills (over the counter, prescription, or non-prescription pills) as a means of committing or attempting suicide.  However, when it comes to completing suicide, boys are more likely to fully complete suicide attempts vs girls.  Boys tend to lean more towards firearms, hanging methods, or jumping off bridges, whereas, girls tend to lean more towards overdosing on drugs or self-harm such as cutting themselves.

Teens who may be facing suicidal thoughts may be those dealing with anxiety, depression, dipolar disorder, or insomnia.  Those factors are also linked to higher suicide attempts and commits.  Factors leading to those disorders may be caused due to a stressful life at home, problems with school, a relationship breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, lose of a loved one, a divorce among parents, etc.  To help prevent teen suicide one can listen to the teen by being there when they need to talk, keeping an eye out for unfamiliar behavior, asking them questions related to their emotional or personal lives. If the suicidal thoughts become more serve then it is best to seek further help.

I have attached the link to the website if one would like to read further about warning signs, risk factors, and ways to prevent suicide.

kidshealth.org/parents/emotions/behavior/suicide.html#a_About_Teen_Suicide

What Relationship Breakups May do to a Teenager

Hello Everyone!

Last week I spoke about the pros and cons about teenage relationships.  I can across an article explaining the effects of a teenage break up.  Recently, interning as a guidance counselor I came across many situations dealing with relationship breakups and what the teen may be dealing with.  The article by Giles (2014) briefly explains some one the problems a break up may cause.  For a teenager everything in life is a big deal whether it might be making the sports team, fitting in with the popular kids, or having the same dress for prom.  Therefore, a relationship breakup can affect a teenager greatly, just as much as it may affect anyone else.  The emotional effects can hit a teenager the hardest depending on the length of the relationship.  A teen might go through stages of aggression or depression.  Teenage boys may feel aggression more than a girl would.  However, a girl tends to suffer from feelings of worthlessness and turn their emotions inwards  due to rejection from the boy.  The physical affects can cause your heart rate to slow down, hence feeling as if your heart is broken.  Whereas, the social affects may cause one to miss their high school events due to not wanting to run into the other.  For example, some teenagers may miss their prom, sport game, or simply hanging out on weekends with their friends.  They tend to begin keeping to themselves and not wanting to do much.  A teenage breakup may be one of the hardest problems a teenager may face.  The best way to help is to listen and comfort, not lecture and yell.

If you would like to read the full article I have attached the link below.

livestrong.com/theeffectsofteenagebreakups

 

Teens and Dating

Hello Everyone!

Relating to my previous post about Teens and Dating, I was wondering what your thoughts may about the subject.

 

 

Adolescents and Dating

Hello Everyone!

I came across the article “Teens and Dating” by Kate Fogarty (2008), and thought it was pretty interesting.  Most of the students who are coming into guidance seem to struggle with dating and relationship situations.  The article explains how half of the teens in the U.S are dating regularly meaning causal dating with one or more partners, while a 3rd have steady relationships with one partner.  Teens began to become serious when dating between the ages of 14 to 16 by having relationships reach up to 2 or more years.  The article also goes on to explain the pros and cons of having a teen relationship.  The pros may be learning cooperation skills and sharing of activities, socially appropriate behavior and manners, interdependence and companionship, compromise, empathy and sensitivity, and how to develop and intimate meaningful relationship.  Whereas cons may be school failure, drug use, delinquency, poor social skills that last through teen years, depression, and sexual activity.  Teen relationships may also lead to control such as “claiming” the person in terms of what they wear and who they hang with.  Control can also lead to violence such as sexual, physical, and mental abuse causing eating disorders and suicidal thoughts in the long run.  However, teen relationships may lead to satisfying, committed relationships in early adulthood.

 

If you would like to read more about the article here is the link!

education.com/teendating

Power Struggles

Hello Everyone!

I am interning has a high school guidance counselor. Therefore, I get to experience, first hand, all the situations the students may be facing ranging from personal issues to emotional issues.  Within my first couple of weeks interning I noticed a few of the freshman are facing “Power Struggles” either with teachers or with their friends.  I came across this article that I thought was interesting.  The article explains how power struggles may sometimes go unresolved, in the end leading to only a deeper struggle.  What I also liked was that the article gave a list of “Dos and Don’ts” to look into.  Many of the teachers and friends focus on every little distraction, overreact, have a continuous battle of who will get the last word in, and assume why the individual did what they did.  Instead, teachers and friends should try working on keeping things interesting and not the same routine everyday, empathize with the individual by learning their background, if an argument arises stay calm and do not jump to your defense mechanism, and try to react to a situation in a way in which the individual does not feel embarrassed and they will not feel as if you do not care.

These minor pointers might help stop an argument before it escalates to something worse.  

http://www.nea.org/tools/49922.htm