How to Decide if I'm Ready for College

High school is wrapping up. You’re probably surrounded by adults asking you about your college plans, peers excitedly chatting about applications and admission letters, and educators pushing you to continue your education. It’s all for good reason: college graduates aged 22-27 currently earn $24,000 per year more than those with only a high school diploma.

Is there still a lingering doubt in your mind, though? A nagging thought: Am I ready for college?

Your hesitation is understandable. The transition from high school to college is one of the most drastic changes a person can experience, and almost 50% of freshmen say they had difficulty adjusting. Moreover, across the U.S., the “Some College, No Credential” (SCNC) population is rising, jumping by 1.4 million between 2020 and 2021. As of July 2021, they number over 40 million. Basically, these are people who enroll in college and take some courses but drop out for any reason. Only about 5% return to complete a degree.

These facts are not meant to scare you away. Instead, I hope to reassure you: your doubts are normal and reasonable. College is a huge commitment and financial investment; good on you for asking questions and carefully thinking it through!

You’ll be pleased to learn that there are ways to determine if you’re ready for college, and the process involves the same self-assessment you’ve already begun.

Personality Factors That Determine College Readiness

It’s critically important to analyze your attitudes, anxieties, and habits when you’re on the lookout for signs you’re not ready for college. College offers a lot of independence, so it demands a lot of maturity. Many times, when students struggle with college academics, it stems from a lack of maturity. The ones who have already demonstrated self-discipline will have an easier time adjusting than those who haven’t.

College Express puts it well: “To earn your degree, you’ll need to do much more than just step it up academically…There are many skills students need to have in order to make it through four years (or more) of college. If you’ve held a leadership position, had a job, or maintained other significant responsibilities, you may have a head start.”

Students should focus on their ability to perform three kinds of skills: self-awareness, self-advocacy, and self-management.

If you don’t score 100% on these skills, resist panic; most people your age (and indeed many adults) struggle with at least a few of these skills. Furthermore, these are the areas where you’ll see the most growth during your college years. A good baseline is all that’s expected.

Self-Awareness

To assess your self-awareness, consider how well you understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself questions like these:

• Which subjects do I struggle with?
• Do I know when to ask for help?
• At what time of day do I give my best work?
• What do I want my friends to be like?
• Do I struggle with mental health, and what are my warning signs?
• How do I respond to conflict?
• How do I respond to stress?

Self-awareness builds your foundation. It allows you to make informed choices about your future. Finding your fit is important to college success, and with so many things to consider before you commit to a college, this skill is invaluable. As the great philosopher Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Self-Advocacy

To assess your self-advocacy, consider your ability to speak up for yourself. Ask yourself questions like these:

• If my professor gives me the wrong grade, will I speak to them about it?
• If my advisor makes a mistake with my class schedule, will I ask them to fix it?
• If my roommate is violating my boundaries, will I ask them to stop?
• Will I join student clubs and organizations to meet new people?
• In class, will I contribute to discussions and present in front of my peers?
• Can I schedule a doctor’s appointment on my own and go alone?
• Will I contact the counseling center if I start to feel overwhelmed?
  
  

Until now, you may have had an older sibling, parent, or guardian to advocate for your needs and preferences. At college, that person won’t be around to stick up for you. As an adult, you alone will have that responsibility. That’s true independence, and it may not be comfortable at first — no matter how much you’ve wanted it.

You can start developing self-advocacy right now. The next time you experience an inconvenience or annoyance, speak up! Don’t avoid conflict by bottling it up inside. If you’re respectful, clear about your boundaries, and clear about your expectations, reasonable people will acquiesce. Like you, they just want to get along. They may not have even realized that they’ve bothered you. The more you stand up for yourself, the easier it will become.

Self-Management

To assess your self-management skills, consider how well you regulate your own behavior. Ask yourself questions like these:

• If I have a class in the early morning, can I get myself up and ready on time?
• Can I ensure that I get enough sleep and maintain a regular sleep schedule?
• Will I procrastinate on papers and projects?
• Will I eat healthy, balanced meals without my parents’ supervision, or try to survive off junk food?
• How well can I maintain my own hygiene?
• Can I responsibly regulate my substance use, even under peer pressure?
• Can I pay bills on time and save money?
• Can I respect my roommate’s boundaries?
• Can I set my own boundaries and stick to them?
• Will I spiral or throw a tantrum if I don’t get my way?
  
  

A lot of these items are just positive habits that healthy adults maintain. The overarching question is this: How much structure do I need?

The dynamic social environment of college adds some unique challenges to overcome, too.

“I think college, for a lot of kids, is going to be the first time that they have temptations like, ‘Do I miss class when everyone is doing something else and I want to join them?'" observed Colleen Paparella, the founder of DC College Counseling. "'Do I want to go out tonight even though I have an 8 A.M. class tomorrow?'"

This speaks to setting personal boundaries that you stick to. Remember the old parental admonition: “Well, if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?”

If you have good self-awareness and self-advocacy skills, but lack self-management, consider attending a smaller school, where there will be more accountability. When everyone knows your name, they’ll also notice concerning behavior and feel more comfortable intervening.

Other Factors That Affect College Readiness

Even if you are internally ready for the transition to college, external factors can still make you unsure. Not everyone has benefitted from the same privileges, and everyone arrives at decisions in their own time. Let’s look at some other concerns that might make you wonder if you’re ready for college.

Lack of Confidence in Direction 

There is a growing trend of college graduates regretting their choice of major. According to a 2021 Federal Reserve survey, about 40% of adults would pick a different degree path if they could do it all over again. Those conversations can make students nervous, even if they already have a major in mind.

Your interests, passions, and personality are going to change substantially over the next five to seven years of your life. That makes it hard to predict whether you will regret your degree choice or find it fulfilling. In psychology, this position is referred to as “ambiguity,” and people who have a higher tolerance of it are better able to decide and live with their decision. If you have low ambiguity tolerance and find yourself oscillating between potential majors, you may need to gather more life experience before your passion is revealed.

If you decide to forge ahead, there are special college programs that can help you make a more informed decision. At USF, we offer the Exploratory Curriculum, a series of pathways for first-year students that explore multiple academic disciplines. Students won’t have to declare a major until they’ve “sampled” several different options. Similar programs exist at other schools.

Low Level of Support

While some students have no trouble quickly building a support network on campus, many others struggle. When they get overwhelmed, they depend on tried-and-true support networks: a phone call with Mom, perhaps, or a visit from their high school bestie.

This support isn’t always available when you need it. Even if they want to help, your family is limited in what they can do from a distance, and they may have their own struggles which demand their attention. Your bestie’s life is probably full of rapid change, too; that can strain the relationship. When you can’t find help where you used to, will you be able to persevere? To put it another way, are you ready to build a support network on your own, away from home?

Some students are the first in their family to attend college. Where do they go for advice on navigating the experience? Before beginning a journey, it’s prudent to consult people who have walked the road ahead of you. It may be beneficial to hold off on college until you have that chance.

Financial Strain 

For many people, college is too expensive. Scholarships and grants help make up the difference, but these are limited.

Student loans have been the solution to that shortfall for several decades, but recent discourse reveals that they aren’t the catch-all they were purported to be. The student loan crisis is now a trillion-dollar problem. Tens of millions of Americans across generations are demanding policy changes to fix the issues and provide relief. If you’ve been following this conversation, there’s a good chance that you’re leery about loans. The solution may be to begin working until you can save up money to pay for college.

Burnout

You’ve been in school nine months out of the year since you were five years old — maybe longer. You may have taken on heavy loads of extracurricular activities, worked a part-time job, been highly involved in volunteerism, or had extra responsibilities at home. You’ve also survived pandemic disruptions that have left even experienced educators shaken. Being burned out is understandable.

In America, it’s as stressful to be a teen as it is to be an adult. If you need to hit pause for a year or two before you sign yourself up for demanding academic work, that’s an indication of your self-awareness, not a personal failing. You can take some time to grow in maturity, then begin college when you’re ready and excited to go.

Other Productive Pathways

If you’re not ready for college just yet, there are options. Many people your age have followed these alternate pathways after high school and grown into successful adults. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, either: you can always choose to go to college later.

If you’ve been accepted to a college already, and decide to choose a different option instead, you can ask your school to defer your enrollment for a time. That way, you won’t have to go through the application process all over again. You may find that taking classes for credit goes against the terms of your deferred enrollment, though, so be cautious.

If you’re not ready for college yet, consider:

• A gap year: This year can be spent on personal growth, travel, or employment — or just a reset before going back to school. Some people will advise you against a gap year, saying, “If you don’t go straight to college, you’ll never go,” but that’s not true: According to the Gap Year Association, 90% of students who take a gap year go on to enroll in college within one year.
• Community college: Enrolling in a community college can be a fantastic way to ease into college life. You’ll get used to a higher level of coursework, but usually it’s less demanding than a four-year school. You’ll also learn to make adult friends and use campus resources effectively. Many community colleges have pipelines to local colleges and universities, guaranteeing that your credits will transfer.
• Getting a job: Most people who aren’t ready for college start working instead. Rather than a path away from higher education, though, work could begin your journey towards it. The more of your own money you can put towards tuition, the less you’ll depend on taking out loans.
• Job training: There are other learning opportunities available, like trade school, which equips you for a solid career without a college degree. If you don’t want to commit to a trade, you could pursue a healthcare certification or take a computer programming course. Stay in the learning frame of mind while improving your employment prospects!

These pathways are appealing because they give you an outlet to be independent and chart your own path. Deciding that you’re not ready for college opens opportunities to figure out who you are, rather than who everyone else wants you to be. You can start building a life for yourself now and go to college when you’re ready.

Making the Decision

Going straight from high school to college is frequently presented as the best way forward for everyone, but people are unique, with diverse experiences and needs. The only one who can truly say what’s right for you is you — though asking for advice from more experienced people will help you make an informed decision.

Conduct a self-appraisal, asking the question: Am I ready for college? Once you reach an answer, carefully consider your options to find the one that meets your individual needs. Commit to a path and give it your all! Later, you can chart a new one if you choose to. That’s the awesome thing about adulthood — welcome!

If attending college is a priority for you, but you’re struggling with some of the concerns we’ve discussed in this article, our Admissions team can offer their perspectives and explain ways that USF makes the transition to college easier for you. Call (813) 974-3350 or email admissions@usf.edu to get help.

You can also take our college readiness quiz! It provides additional questions for your self-appraisal and covers many of the topics we’ve discussed here.