For many people, while in high school, they have a dream school  in mind that they hope to go to once they graduate. They might have visited the campus and fallen in love with the school then. Their parents might have attended that school and they want to keep the tradition alive. The school might have an admirable athletic department that they hope to play or compete for. For those students, finally getting that letter of acceptance is a day they have dreamed of for a very long time.

A student’s first semester at their dream school is one that they will most likely never forget. They experience many new things in their new journey. But for students like William Stringfellow and Jerrick Dictado, that dream was cut short.

“I went to Loyola for a semester,” Dictado said. “I was excited to go at first since it was one of my top schools but I had to leave after my first semester because it just got too expensive.”

The financial strain that attending a four-year institution, like Loyola, causes is not always kept in mind by young students when looking at schools. The cost of attending schools like this is on the rise and can be very expensive, especially if the school is a private institution.

After leaving Loyola, Dictado began to attend Elgin Community College in hopes of saving money while still working towards his degree. Dictado plans on trying again at a four-year institution but is keeping in mind his past experiences.

“Now when me and my parents are looking at schools for me to transfer to after ECC, we’re focusing more on cost and looking for more affordable schools,” Dictado said.

Finding the right school for the student is another hurdle for some students and parents. It can take more than a simple campus visit to decide if a school is right for you.

“I went to Loyola for my freshman year right out of high school,” Stringfellow said. “After that, I decide to leave due to financial reasons and because I felt like I really didn’t quite fit at the school.” 

A student may go into a school thinking that it’s the right one for them but after some time, that may change. The student might discover that a school didn’t have the right atmosphere that they were looking for or change their mind on what they thought they wanted.

For some students that leave these four-year institutions, ECC becomes a sort of transitional school that they attend while they decide on their next step in life.

“After leaving Loyola I attended ECC since it was close to home and so I could figure out what school to go to next,” Stringfellow said. 

Dictado and Stringfellow are not the only cases of students having to leave the four-year schools that they attended right after high school. It is a bump in the road that many college students face and one that many bounce back from to continue their pursuit to gain a higher education.