The American Dream is often referred to as the dream of a college education, but in reality, the path to a bachelor’s degree in medicine or a PhD in a specialty like pediatrics is not as straightforward as it might seem.
The dream is about earning a degree, but the process of getting there is far from straightforward.
That’s why there are a number of options out there for graduates who have yet to find their path to college, according to a new survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAACCU).
The AAACCU, a trade group representing nearly 1,300 colleges and universities, surveyed nearly 2,500 graduates from 2018 to 2020 and found that more than 70 percent of those surveyed had not even attempted to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
There are a variety of paths to college: From medical school to dental school, from law school to medicine, and more.
However, the survey also found that the majority of graduates do not have a clear idea of what path to take after graduation.
Here are a few of the most common questions that graduates are asked about completing their degrees: 1.
What kind of degree do you need?
What are the credentials?
What’s your general goal?
2.
When did you decide to pursue a degree in a particular specialty?
How did you determine what that specialty is?
How long did you pursue it?
3.
How much money have you saved up for college?
Do you have a plan?
Do your parents have any?
What did you do to prepare for college for graduation?
4.
When do you think you will graduate?
How much did you spend on college?
How many credits did you complete?
How old are you?
5.
What was your highest school GPA?
How does your GPA compare to your general education level?
What was the average grade point average?
6.
What are your career goals?
Do they involve working for the government or for your own business?
What career paths are open for you in the future?
7.
Do you plan to graduate in a year?
If not, what will you do next?
8.
What career fields are open to you?
What skills do you plan on using in the field?
9.
Do your professors have a general idea of where you are in your career path?
Do any of them have any specific advice for you?
10.
How do you compare to other graduates of the same high school or community college?
11.
Do graduates who are working today plan to return to school next year?
What if they don’t?
12.
How are you feeling about getting into a particular field in the next few years?
What about your peers?
13.
What is your general outlook for the next five years?
14.
How would you like to change the way you see your future?
What do you hope to accomplish as an adult?
15.
How many years have you spent in a profession that is not in medicine, dentistry, or a medical or dental specialty?
What would you consider your best career move if you had the opportunity to make one?
16.
Do people you know or are friends with know about your degree program?
17.
How often do you see yourself pursuing a doctorate?
How do your peers feel about this?
18.
Do students in the same program share the same goals?
What can they learn from you?
19.
What skills are you hoping to develop as an MD/PhD candidate?
20.
How did your parents learn to be a doctor?
What were the primary reasons for them choosing you for medical school?
21.
How has your family changed since you graduated high school?
What has your personal life been like since high school ended?
22.
How long has your graduation been on your agenda?
How would they describe it to you today?
23.
Do graduate students who have attended a high school with a medical school feel the same way about the program?
What should they know about the school before they start?
24.
How important are your friends in your field?
25.
Do they have any concerns about your medical school decision?
What have they said?
26.
Do doctors and MDs who graduated from high school feel that they are the same in their profession?
What kind?
27.
How likely is it that you will get a job in your chosen field?
What does that mean for you professionally?
28.
Do the people you work with feel the opposite?
What could you tell them to make sure you are ready to take the next step?
29.
What’s the most important lesson you learned in medical school and what advice would you give to your classmates?
30.
Do all of your peers have any particular advice for your path to becoming a doctor or a MD?
What kinds of advice should you share with them?
31.
What do doctors do before they become a doctor and how do they prepare for it?
32.
What should you know about life after graduation?