Fredericksburg Parent

18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2022 18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2022 "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." – Robert Frost Higher Education's New Normal The "new normal" has inspired Gen Z (current teens and young adults) to create distance between themselves and the status quo. Following a 10-year trend, one exacer- bated by the COVID-19 pandemic, more young people are shying away from the traditional four-year-college path and opting for a road less traveled. Despite the insistence of older generations to stick with the more-favored academic route, young Americans con- tinue to rethink the value of higher education as they watch the costs of a college education rise and don't see an acceptable return on the investment. It might be a tough pill for traditionalists to swallow, but for many cen- tennials, the four-year plan just doesn't make sense. College enrollment has been on the decline for a decade. COVID-19 simply shined a spotlight on an already-fester- ing problem within our higher education system and then sped up that downward trend. According to studies per- formed by the ECMC Group, an organization that empow- ers teens to pursue an education/career path of their own choosing, there was a sharp decline in college interest between 2020 and 2021. Here are their findings: • Teens' likelihood of pursuing a four-year degree decreased 23 percentage points between May 2020 and September 2021, down to 48 percent from 71 percent. • Almost one-third of high school students said the pandemic's financial impact made it less likely they will attend a four-year college. • Nearly one-quarter said they were less likely to enroll in any postsecondary education. • More than half were still open to something other than a four-year degree and believed they can achieve professional success with education attained in three years or less. WRITTEN BY RHIANNON ELLIS Photo by M&J Photography.

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