Jordan Weissmann at the Atlantic reports on the high dropout rate in the US.

Just 56 percent of students who embark on a bachelor's degree program finish within six years, according to a 2011 Harvard study titled Pathway's to Prosperity. Just 29 percent of those who seek an associates degree obtain it within three years. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, just 46 percent of Americans complete college once they start, worst among the 18 countries it tracks.

We're behind Slovakia. Slovakia. 

I was a co-author on a paper many years ago that was commissioned by CUNY to look at why good students dropped out CUNY. They gave us a huge random sample of students who had grades of C and above. We sent them a survey, and did phone interviews and focus groups. So, why did they drop out?

Family matters were a big problem. So was the cost. Some transferred. Also, students dropped out, because they had no support from the school. They needed a class to graduate, but the school wasn't offering it until next  year. Or they had no idea what classes to take. Or they didn't know who their adviser was. Or their adviser was rude. Most of them didn't consider themselves as dropouts. They explained that they were taking a break. 

Yes, I have higher ed on the brain right now. I'll try changing the subject.