We Send Students to College. We Don't Prepare Them for It.

On May 1, millions of high school seniors committed to college, many with the understanding that a four-year degree is the next step toward stability and success.

But are students being prepared to make that decision in the first place?

The average college graduate now leaves school with roughly $30,000 in student loan debt, and Americans collectively owe more than $1.7 trillion. At the same time, fewer than two-thirds of students who start a four-year degree finish within six years.

For teenagers just beginning adult life, it is one of the largest financial decisions they will ever make, often made with limited experience weighing long-term trade-offs.

I was the first person in my family to earn a college degree. In my hometown of Danville, Ill., only about 17% of adults have one. When I graduated, my parents were proud, and so was I.