Jaded with education, more Americans are skipping college
JACKSON, TENN. >> When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability and a happy life.
The pandemic changed his mind.
A year after high school, Hart is directing a youth theater program in Jackson, Tennessee. He got into every college he applied to but turned them all down. Cost was a big factor, but a year of remote learning gave him the time and confidence to forge his own path.
“There were a lot of us with the pandemic, we kind of had a do-it-yourself kind of attitude of like, `Oh — I can figure this out,'” he said. “Why do I want to put in all the money to get a piece of paper that really isn't going to help with what I'm doing right now?”
Hart is among hundreds of thousands of young people who came of age during the pandemic but didn't go to college. Many have turned to hourly jobs or careers that don't require a degree, while others have been deterred by the prospect of student debt.
What first looked like a pandemic blip has turned into a crisis. Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines even after returning to inperson classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Economists say the impact could be dire. At worst, it could signal a new generation with little faith in the value of a college degree. At minimum, it appears those who passed on college during the pandemic are opting out for good.
Fewer college graduates could worsen existing labor shortages. And for those who forgo college, it usually means significantly lower lifetime earnings, according to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.
In dozens of interviews with The Associated Press, educators, researchers and students described a generation jaded by education institutions. Largely on their own amid remote learning, many took parttime jobs. Some felt they weren't learning anything, and the idea of further education held little appeal.
As a kid, Hart dreamed of going to Penn State to study musical theater. But when classes went online, he spent less time on coursework and more on creative outlets. He felt a new sense of independence, and the stress of school faded.
“I was like, `OK, what's this thing that's not on my back constantly?'” Hart said. “I kind of relaxed more in life and enjoyed life.”
He started working at a smoothie shop, and by the time he graduated, he had left college plans behind.
The shift has been stark in Jackson, where just four in 10 of the county's public high school graduates immediately went to college in 2021, down from six in 10 in 2019.
Jackson's leaders say young people are taking restaurant and retail jobs that pay more than ever. Some are being recruited by manufacturing companies that have raised wages to fill shortages.
America's college-going rate was generally on the upswing until the pandemic reversed decades of progress. Rates fell despite economic upheaval, which typically drives more people into higher education.