Generally speaking, rural youth are more likely to be first generation students and often look to attend college close to home (Means et al, 2016; Turley 2009). Student’s experiences on college campuses occur through athletic events or school activities such as 4-H. In some communities teachers and school staff act as gatekeepers to college encouraging some students to go and others to stay close to home (Corbett, 2007). In addition, affordability factors into rural student’s decision making. Many rural youth are adverse to taking loans and look to two-year colleges as a way to save money (McDonough & Calderone, 2006). This can result in under matching, and the higher proportion of rural youth who are pursing certificates and associate’s degrees while their urban counterparts pursue more baccalaureate degrees (Koricich, 2014). For rural youth who do not want to take out loans they often enroll part time and work, something that can hamper their progress toward degree completion (Taniguchi & Kaufman, 2005). Two-year colleges are certainly appropriate for many students, however completion rates can be low and students who start degree programs without completions do not receive the economic benefits of their education a situation made worse if they took out loans.
Beyond college enrollment, like other college students, rural youth need more than just academic skills to be ready for college to successfully complete their degrees and credentials. College readiness has been defined in different ways (Conley, 2010; Maruyama, 2012), however the majority of definitions include college knowledge, social emotional skills or soft skills, along with academic preparation. Rural School and Community Trust used college entrance exams and AP course participation as a measure of college readiness (Showalter, Klein, Johnson, & Hartman, 2017). While this measure may actually measure intent to enroll, it could also be an indicator of understanding the college admission process. By this measure rural youth in Oregon are second lowest in graduating high school without taking college entrance exams. However, forty percent of rural youth take at least one AP course (Showalter, Klein, Johnson, & Hartman, 2017). Together these measures suggest that rural youth are either opting for community colleges or do not intend to enroll in college regardless of their academic accomplishments.
We conducted focus groups in 6 rural communities with young people (ages 14-20). When asked if they felt ready for college, the majority of students responded no. The students were less concerned about the academic requirements than everything else needed to be successful in college. Students reported they were unsure about financing their educations, living on their own, and managing their time. The decisions around two-year versus four-year colleges were made around cost and consideration of time to degree and their ability to get into the workforce quickly.
Our findings suggest that even in small rural schools, youth need more structured support for the application process to college and paying for college are needed along with work to ensure youth feel ready to navigate being independent and the process of earning their credentials.
