The Risk of Rushing It: Why College Might Not Be the Next Right Step

Part 1: The ROI Reality—When College Becomes a Costly Detour

Let me tell you about Josh...

Josh was a great kid—the one who checked all the boxes. Took AP classes, scored well on the SAT, participated in sports, volunteered in the summer, and stayed out of trouble. His parents were proud. His teachers said he was ready for college. So, like most high school seniors, he did what everyone expected: applied to eight universities, picked the one that felt good, and enrolled straight out of high school.

By Thanksgiving break of his first semester, he was failing two classes, sleeping through others, and wondering what the heck he was going to tell his parents.

Josh didn’t lack intelligence. He lacked readiness (despite what his HS teachers told him…). And when he came home for winter break, completely drained and ashamed, the same people who thought he was ready were now confused and concerned.

That’s when they found me. The following summer, Josh was actually a strong candidate for my program. His name came across my desk. His parents had a conversation with me. They knew something wasn’t working. But in the end, they chose not to move forward. They hoped sophomore year would be better.

It wasn’t.

Josh dropped out halfway through that year.

The Pressure to Go Is Real. And Misguided.

For most families, college has become the default setting. It’s the checkbox that makes everyone feel like they’ve “made it.” Parents can proudly say their kid is in school. Teens don’t have to explain themselves. Guidance counselors and schools get to report a higher college acceptance rate.

But here’s the truth. Default decisions are dangerous. Especially when they’re based on outdated beliefs about success.

This isn’t 1995. A degree no longer guarantees a job—or even clarity about your career direction. We live in an era where skills, mindset, adaptability, and networking often outrank a transcript. And yet, we’re pushing 18-year-olds to commit to four-year paths because “it’s what everyone does now.”

If college is going to cost someone six figures and put them in debt for life, steal their confidence, or derail their mental health and the course of their life, we better stop calling it “the best next step.”

Because sometimes, it’s not.

What Readiness Actually Looks Like

College can be a smart, strategic investment—but not for everyone and not right away. There’s a big difference between being academically eligible and being emotionally, mentally, and practically prepared.

Ask yourself or your teen:

• Can they manage their own time without external reminders (meaning you, reminding them)?

• Do they know how to advocate for themselves in a new environment (and ask for help when they need it)?

• Are they motivated by their actual goals—not just external pressure?

• Have they explored careers, skills, or real-world experience enough to choose a meaningful major?

• Can they regulate their stress, bounce back from setbacks, and stay focused when things get hard?

If the answer to most of these is “not yet,” that’s not a failure. That’s just real. And rushing into college when you’re not ready is like entering a marathon without training—you’ll burn out, stall out, or drop out.

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And you wouldn’t believe how many do.

🔥 The dropout stat nobody wants to talk about: Roughly 40% of students who start a four-year college don’t finish within six years.

That’s hundreds of thousands of young adults every year, walking away with debt, no degree, and a dented sense of self-worth.

We Need to Start With the Real Question: What's the ROI?

Understanding your “Return on investment” is a must when you’re making a six-figure decision that can affect your life and the lives of your family for decades.

And let’s be honest… College is a business. A very expensive business. The average cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board) at a four-year public college in the U.S. is over $28,000 per year. For private universities? Closer to $58,000 per year.

Multiply that by four years (and studies show many students don’t finish in four), and you’re looking at $112,000 to $232,000+ before interest. Add in student loans, lost wages during school, and the rising cost of living, and suddenly “just go to college” sounds a lot less casual.

Now, this wouldn’t be such a big deal if every student was graduating with a degree that led directly to a well-paying, fulfilling job. But that’s not the reality. Not even close.

• 41% of recent college grads are underemployed, meaning they’re working jobs that don’t require a degree.

• 1 in 8 grads regrets their college major.

• The average student loan balance in the U.S. is over $38,000—and climbing.

That’s not investment. That’s a detour. A very expensive one.

“But If They Don’t Go Now, They’ll Never Go…”

That fear? It’s baked into every conversation I have with anxious parents. But let’s unpack it.

What you’re actually saying is: “I’m afraid if my child doesn’t follow the traditional path, they’ll fall behind.”

But behind who? And by what measure?

The truth is, many young adults do go back later—and often succeed because they took time to grow, work, explore, and build maturity. They walk into the classroom with purpose. They ask better questions. They see the price tag and say, “I’m going to make this count.”

And even if college isn’t in their future at all, that doesn’t mean failure. It means alignment—with themselves, their goals, their timeline.

That’s exactly what happened to me. I am a four-year gap student and waiting that long was exactly what I needed. I solidified who I am. I flexed my social muscles as I explored what it meant to be an adult. And I went back when I was ready, and it showed.

My own experience in college, as well as the hundreds of seniors I have worked with, have led me to conclude: it is time to stop treating college as a deadline and start seeing it as one possible path. And a path that doesn’t need to be completed as if we are in a race.

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Signs That a Young Adult Might Need a Different First Step

If you’re wondering whether your teen is ready—or if you’re a young adult unsure about jumping into college—you’re not alone. I work with people in this exact space every day. And I can tell you, waiting a year or so is often the smartest move they’ll ever make.

Here are some signals it might be time to pause:

• They rely on parents to manage their schedule or appointments

• They’ve shown signs of burnout, anxiety, or avoidance around academics

• They are not excited about anything at all, and appear totally apathetic

• They’re more excited about a break, a job, or a creative pursuit than sitting in more classes

• They don’t yet have a strong “why” for being there

• They chose a college or major “just to get it over with”

• They chose the same career path as the parents

Spoiler: Pausing doesn’t mean “wasting time.” It means getting strategic. And if your teen is in this zone, the best thing you can do is not panic. There are other ways to grow—and I help teens build those exact paths inside my programs.

What Happens When You Wait with Intention

Let’s flip the script. Imagine your teen spends a year (or even just a season) building real-world skills. They learn how to manage their time, hold themselves accountable, advocate in real-life situations, and explore what actually lights them up.

Then they walk into a college environment—or a career, or a training program—with clarity and ownership. They’re not just floating. They’re building.

That’s the work we do inside the Summer of Success program—starting again this Monday for our third year running. We don’t just build academic prep. We build real-world readiness: time management, self-advocacy, resilience, and purpose. Because the world doesn’t reward checkbox checkers. It rewards young adults who show up with clarity, capacity, and a willingness to grow.
We are beyond excited to see the transformational results!

Final Thought: You’re Not Behind—You’re Waking Up

To the parent reading this: your kid is not falling behind. They might be burnt out, confused, or resistant—and that’s okay. What they’re doing now, even if it looks messy, might be the beginning of doing life on their terms. And maybe for the first time, they’re starting to figure out what intention even means.

To the young adult unsure about college: you are not broken. You’re brave enough to ask hard questions that most people never ask.

College might still be in the cards. But if it’s not the right next step right now, then you don’t owe anyone an explanation for pausing. You owe yourself a future that actually fits.

And if you’re ready to explore what that looks like—with real skills, strategy, and support—I’ve got a seat waiting for you inside my next program.

You don’t have to rush it.
You just have to own it.

P.S. Want to explore what a purposeful “pause” can look like? Let’s talk. Schedule a quick connection call and see if the Summer of Success or one of my seasonal programs might be exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

Schedule a Discovery Call Today

Alexandra Holt
Life Strategist for Young Adults