5 Warning Signs You’re Not Ready to Drop Out of College (2024)

After four years of college, I finally decided to drop out.

When I tell people that I’ll move to Portugal instead of continuing my master’s program, I can hear the alarm bells ringing in their heads. What about college?! Are you going to drop out? Don’t you want to finish first? Or is it just a gap year?

My answer is always the same: Yes.

Dropping out of college always seems like it’s this definitive decision. Well, it’s not. You can always go back to college. It’s not all black and white.

However, that doesn’t mean you should drop out as soon as the slightest spark tells you so. Leaving college before you’re ready can beam you to the realms of regret, anxiety, and misery. So don’t make this decision on a whim.

Here are five warning signs to consider carefully before you take the plunge.

My first year of college sucked.

I overworked myself. I found that I study more than others while getting worse grades. I also found out that I hate my engineering major and have close to zero…