Dropping Out May Not Be a Dead End

Your 19-year-old college student suddenly announces that he or she is quitting school. What’s a parent to do?

Dropping out can lead to a valuable, educational and productive phase in a late adolescent’s development, says David Winer, dean of students at Trinity College. “The variable of time does wonders for development in general, including thoughtfulness, self-discipline and focusing of energies,” he says.

Winer says most students who drop out voluntarily return to college and graduate--although not necessarily in the same field of study or at the same college.

Typically, he says, those who return have greater self-confidence, fewer disciplinary problems and an improved attitude toward the faculty.

What matters is how the student spends the time away from school.

“Vegging,” or just hanging out, isn’t very productive, Winer says. He offers this advice to parents:

* Talk to the college’s dean of students, who will see the situation from a different vantage point and who will be able to talk to the student’s professors.

* View the situation as a new opportunity in another area of interest. The family should work together to develop a plan that will help the student work toward that goal.