If your mom has to look over your shoulder and check your homework when you are in college... if it takes that much of intervention... it's over....

He’s prioritizing work. He’s a worker not a school guy

Maybe college isn't for him.....college isn't necessarily for everyone. He may need a trade school...explore what he really wants to pursue in life.

Sounds like she's rubbing his failures in his face and he's just given up.

The problem is parents who think a's b's and c's are the determining factor of life outcomes.

I was the same way at age 19 when I started college. I dropped out my first semester and was stuck paying the balance. I joined the military and at age 21, decided to go back to college. At 24 I graduated with a high gpa and began working on my masters. Sometimes it’s a maturity thing and realizing what you really want in life. That can be hard to know at 18/19 years old.

This mom sounds like a unbalanced control freak.I think Daves advice is off.Shes already treating him likes he's in 6th grade

Here’s a crazy thought. How about asking your adult child what he would like to do with his life

Kid is in college just to be in college. Get into a trade.

My son went to community college for a trade...it seemed pretty intense with the amount of work they did. Out of 50 kids only 13 graduated. He graduated debt free and makes 60k a year just starting. You're an intelligent man Mr.Ramsey but your opinion on community colleges is dead wrong.

Some people are just not fit for college. I do not buy into this myth that "everyone" needs a college degree. That's nonsense. Some people are just not cut out for college and white collar jobs and you know what? That's okay. People like this need to learn a trade like electrician, carpenter, plumbing, concrete, mechanics, etc. There's no shame in being a blue collar worker. Someone has to do that work and you can make good money doing it

I graduated with 2.5 59 out of 62 in engineering school I got a job a month after and 10 yyears now im a plant manager make 160k a year. He can still get very good future if he just pass with C's

He shouldnt go to college until he is ready.. im going to school full time and working full time getn all A's.. at 35! Never was ready before now.. if id gone earlier i wouldve wasted time and money for sure!

He doesn't like school. Ask the kid what he wants to do, what does he enjoy doing? A skilled tradesman can do very well. Look into Union Apprenticeship programs.

As a CC teacher, our classes are required to be the same level as university. My class is probably harder because there is no curving. Dave just lost a lot of respect from me. Plenty of my students physically attend class and then fail. Most of the time when students struggle it's because they don't know how to study. A good book about studying is "Teach Yourself How to Learn". And Dave, FERPA means that we can't tell parents anything about the students grades or attendance.

Why does Dave act like he’s been living with the family for 6 years, you don’t know the situation, so give the kid some slack🤦‍♂️

He's an adult. He is 18 and has been in college for a year. He has a job. Stop trying to micromanage your adult child's life.

It's very odd that no one ever mentions his major, or whether he's interested in it. What about him? What about the career he wants? Does his courseload reflect that at all? Also, as others have mentioned, he's 18. The whole "I'll make him pay for classes he gets below a C in" is already micromanaging.

I have taught and worked in financial aid and admissions at universities for 17 years and it sounds to me like this young man isn't ready for college or doesn't really want to be there. When I say "not ready", I am talking about maturity level not intelligence. I see kids in college every year who are there because their parents want them to be there, not because they want to go. He needs to go to work full-time and figure out what he wants to do. He may find that he never wants to go back. But, trade schools are a great idea too if he is a hard worker and has something he is interested in. I went to graduate school and my brother went to a trade school to become an aircraft mechanic. Guess who makes the most money - my brother! I went to college right after high school, didn't do well, dropped out, worked a few years and went back part-time at 25. I finished undergrad at the age of 30 when I was married with a kid. It didn't hurt me in the long run and I wanted college when I went back. I also knew what I field I wanted to be in as well!

Send him to trade school

Disagree with Dave here. Not every community college is easy. At my CC, there are engineering classes and high level programming and all kinds math classes like calculus, statics, dynamics, differential equations, linear algebra just to name a few. You can't just sit in those classes, take notes and do half the homework. Of course it depends on the degree, but at least for engineering degrees, CC is not the cake walk Dave describes here.

This is what's wrong with society...we are bombarded with people telling us to go to college and it's the only way to succeed. He had a similar gpa in high school ...he shouldn't be in college.

Community College can be difficult. The teachers can be strict and the classes can be just as intense as a 4 year school!

My community college was just as difficult as my four year.

I think Dave is totally wrong. This guy is the same as every kid. They don't care. I don't mean that in a bad way either, but school is so boring and most kids have no idea what they want to do and are not passionate about what they are doing. They are only going to school because parents say you have to go and you better do well, which is the worse way of "teaching" your kids since it doesn't teach them anything. This kid doesn't even have a major, so he clearly is only doing it because his mom said so and he is trusting that she is right. Reality is the kid needs to find what he actually likes doing, start doing that, be as good as he can be at it, and give away his talents for free. He will have a ton of fun doing the work and actually want to be better at it. He could go to any company after and tell them how much work he has done and how much he has tried before all for free, and if he did that much for free just imagine how good he would be if he was being paid too. Any company who has a guy like that walk in would be stupid to send them away. His life will change forever for the best. Just sticking to school because "school is good", and your mom said so will never make you great at what you do and will definitely not give you the life you have always wanted. I think that is the number one problem with all the school debt as well. Parents tell their kids that school is good and they better go, or else. They just take anything and waste so much time and money for nothing. All because the parents forced it on them.

He's going to college, he's standing by his word and pays his responsibilities, so I agree us a good boy. He needs to learn how to study and manage time.

Taking time off college is fine. In fact, I left college with all F’s, took a gap year and now I’m at all A’s applying for medical school 🙂

What she is describing sounds very much like ADHD symptoms. Please have him evaluated to see if this is what is getting in his way. It's very treatable and could change his entire life for the better!!

I am inclined to think he has ADHD. Please get him evaluated. I was in the same situation, not doing well in school, etc. and until I was diagnosed properly, no amount of parenting was helping me.

I think the kid doesn't like school. He has to find his passion, his mom needs to allow him to explore something he really wants to do. School is being forced on too many people.

I can tell you from experience - I was 4.0 when graduating from High School at the age of 15, but when I started community college my grades started dropping because I was "done with school". I was required to attend college by my mother because it would keep the child support coming in. At that time, I was fed up with school (I know, I was only 15) and I literally just stopped attending the majority of the classes. I kept the 2.0 for the first year for the child support, but I just stopped attending classes the second year. Look, if you're not interested in college, you're not interested. I now fully own multiple properties, work full time, and have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children. You don't always need a college degree to be financially successful, you just need dedication to your chosen route in life. Go out there and work!

I really struggled in college. It was one of the worst times of my life. In hindsight I think I lacked support. Studies show that the more problems you have to deal with in your life the worse you perform on iq tests. I always felt like I had dumbed down in college and couldn't find my way back to my potential. The second I started working and had people around me that wanted me to succeed I started rapidly improving in every area of my life. They say that you become like he people you surround yourself with, and I believe that now because in college I surrounded myself with no one and I was no one. In the workplace I am surrounded by honorable and talented people and it is changing the standard I hold myself to. In this case I think the mother is just giving her son more things to worry about and devote brain cells to. Seems to me like he views it as a safer bet to Skene his time working for money to pay for college than to risk spending his time on school and potentially not meeting his mom's standard. He really needs support right now, not more people coming down on him.

Not every kid has the cognitive horsepower to excel at the College level... REALITY

I think the issue is that not all kids are ready for college right out of high school. In 24 and will finally get my bachelors next semester but I can say my first 3 years were very unproductive and took another year off before finally getting it together. A lot of kids really just want to get their life started right out of high school but don’t know what they want to do. They don’t care about the college experience and would rather start building towards moving out on their own. I think we should start encouraging gap years for kids who aren’t sure what they want to do

I think the kid is trying but it sounds to me that he doesn't know how to study for college level work. It's quite possible he was able to get by in high school by cramming and now it isn't working but he keeps doing it because he doesn't know what else to do. If I was this mom I would quit the guilt trips and teach him time management and study skills.

some people cant work and do school at the same time. Just because some people can work and do school at the same time does not mean you should.

Ive noticed in school the kids whos parents force then to go are mostly the ones who do not take it seriously or succeed. The motivation must come from him.

Whats the problem? He will get degree eventually. I got 2.1 average in college with computer engineering degree but still graduated. Guess what i make 110k now in IT field. He just need to be in right field.

I was like this guy. My first couple quarters[that's what they were then] were decent grades then I started slowly dropping grades each quarter til I dropped out for a bit. His mind is on other things. If he really wants to go to school, make it his own choice by helping him to move out of your house. That will likely help him grow up just like it helped me.

Dave just dogged community college, acting like it's easy. 😑😑 it's exactly the same if not better.

Ever thought college wasn't for him...just a thought

Give the son some space. I know my mom constantly bringing up my grades (in HS) only stressed me out. I did better in college when my parents legally couldn't breathe down my neck when it came to grades. He knows he should be getting As and Bs, he's already paying for his college, let him be an adult and figure it out.

Get him a tutor and give him one semester to turn it around. Tell him that he will have to move out if he's not able to stay in school.

Tell him to drop out and work. That will give him sometime to figure out what he wants. He's no motivated. I'm in his shoes. I was a 1.8 student in high school, I was a 2.9 student in college, and I had no motivation. So I just dropped out and worked. Now I know what I want to do, and my employer is going to pay for my college if I go back.

The #1 issue here is that he is an adult and the mother needs to stop trying to control him or “punish him” like he’s in grade school because he isn’t. He clearly doesn’t care that he’s failing or paying his own way. Back to the drawing board, college isn’t for him or it isn’t the right time

Community College is very, very challenging. A lot of professors actually part time at a community College and part time at the local university and they treat all students the same... Her son may really have an issue with learning, and it's NOT UNCOMMON... he may be the type that needs to start his own business or something, not go with the education rout.

Those who are struggling in community college right now are getting in their feelings when Dave starts talking down about community college 😩😩😂😂

That counselor is gonna laugh out loud when the mommy comes in to help her college aged kid

Community college is not easier then regular college. Actually, professors are actually harder because they are trying to set you up to succeed in regular college. So the work is actually slightly more difficult.

Personally, I do poorly when someone micromanages me but do very well when I'm free to be me.

Instead of treating him like a child, they should get him out of college and have him work for a year at a low level job. That will change him and teach him responsibility.

There is no point pushing him and checking his every move. If he doesn't want to go, he's just not going to do well. He needs to find a trade.

I have a feeling this young man is having a trouble with work-life balance. Also seems like the mom just wants to shove it in his face, rather than help him. If she was helping, she would easily be able to pinpoint his deficiencies. I hope a kind man at their church can help them.

George w Bush was a c student. trust me when i say, in life you just have to know the right people. make connections and network.

I received my masters and PhD it was with almost a straight A. My BS was a very different story. Lots of Ds and Fs. Not because I wasn’t smart enough but because I didn’t believe I was smart enough to succeed. I highly suggest you get him a coach or therapist.

D's happen. That is traumatic for her to show it in her face his failure. Your problem is being in his face about all this. The truth is letting him try his best and get over it. Your first year is always the hardest. Give him another year. The first year is a transition year

Okay let me tell you and all these "old school" people punishing a student can only help so much. Punishment is NOT motivation. If you truly want a kid to realize how and what he needs to let him choose his path, and learn why he needs to do that. Finishing my first semester in college with all A's. High school gpa was a 1.8, the difference is in high school my parents were constantly on my back and screaming about grades. I was unmotivated.

A students work for the B students C students run the company D students dedicate the buildings. Let him live, he's working hard.

After graduating from high school, I got a full-time job. When I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, I made the decision to put myself through college. I didn't need my parents breathing down my neck about it because they weren't paying for it or making the sacrifices! :)

To be fair, some classes (i.e. higher-level STEM) are still very challenging even at community colleges. However, many general education courses are fairly easy, so it's not entirely accurate to say that you can show up and get a B in all of your classes. And that's not taking into account the huge discrepancies between the ways different professors grade (which is much bigger than most want to admit).

a student with a 2.9 high school average making 2.9 GPA in community college is not strange at all. i mean, i was a high school student who had a 4.0 GPA and i would get b's and c's in university, college was VERY challenging, it took me 3 semesters to figure it out. i wasn't doing what i was exposed to be. the last few years of my college experience, i was making all a's, but because i slipped in the beginning, my GPA averaged out to a 3.3 graduation GPA. (thats like a B average through 4 years of college) some employers will ask for GPA and transcripts. the higher your GPA, the better chance you will get the job you want.

Who are his friends? - if he's in a peer group that doesn't value college, they may be pulling him down. Watch for signs of drug/drink abuse which can affect your grades. He's an adult so don't treat him like a 6th grader - he can quit college, pay room/board to mom or move out, and work to support himself for a few years until he decides what he wants to pursue.

THIS call is completely pointless

you are forcing him to work full time, when he should be studying. thats the problem.

Drop out and start a business with mom. Don't go into debt over a grade.

He’s a sophomore in college. Mommy needs to take some steps back. Let him figure it out.

Colleges have learning centers that offer free tutoring to students who struggle. There are also freshman seminars that go over things like study habits and all of the resources the school has to offer for student success. Schools WANT their students to succeed, but yes, the student has to meet them half-way. Not for nothing, if mom has to look over his shoulder like that for him to do his work, maybe he's just not ready for college yet.

Man, reducing his workload by working less and having more time to study could help him perform better.

"Community college is not that difficult." Ugh! More of Dave's perspective that's totally detached from reality. The more I watch these videos the more I realize Dave's commentary is based more on feelings and judgement, rather than factual evidence.

Some kids just aren't cut out for college.

College is not for everyone and that’s ok. It’s not the only way to achieve success in life. I’m so glad to know there’s no student so far. Another thing to consider is whether he is studying the things he is actually good at and very interested in. Then consider how he learns as well. Maybe he learns by doing and would do better at a trade?

Dave Ramsey, great call on finding a male mentor who is successful, my parents did that with me when I was younger and it literally changed my course. Great advice.

Sounds to me like hes doing just as well in college as he did in high school. A 2.9/3.0 isn't all that great, hes just an average student it seems like

Why is he working in college??? He shouldn't have to work smh. Sounds like the MOM and parents are the problem. they fail to be an example and suddenly expect their kids to do differently.

WRONG DAVE! Community colleges have better instruction than many universities. Also, the kid needs to do what he feels is best for him, if you are in college then you need to be there because you want to be there and are motivated, and if in college then a parent need NOT be checking on him.... gheeeez!! Bad parent reaction and bad advice from Dave

Why force this kid to go to college when he clearly doesn't want to?

What??? C is not that bad at collage I normally study for my exams 180 hrs. , attend most of the classes, take notes And still get a C 🙂

There's always the military... ;)

This student sounds a lot like me taking community college classes at his age in 2020. I wasn't motivated nor did I succeed because I didn't like remote learning and also because I still had the same attitude I had in high school. Sometimes I forget that this student's situation is different from mine in the sense that there was no covid pandemic at the time of this student's college experience. Now I am 22 and both happy and glad to be taking college classes in person after taking a gap year. I am not sure what I want to do in terms of career but I have to say that I have warmed up to being a college student in the sense that I am back in person.

He either doesn't care, has trouble learning, or he has some other issue. I struggled my first semester because of depression and it took me quitting my part time job and focusing on myself and school. I got an F my first year. Retook the class and got a B+. This semester? all A+.

I start undergrad in 2 weeks. The key is to be motivated & consistent. Also study from the first principles of everything & completely understand what you're learning. Ex: 2 x 4 = 8, but why? Because multiplication is just rapid addition, so two 4's added together is 8 or four 2s (2+2+2+2) is equal To 8 Understand everything in a conceptual way, don't just learn equations or read history books & answer questions. LEARN WHY THINGS ARE HOW THEY ARE. Understand the bigger picture.

Maybe college isn’t for him. That’s okay. Trade schools are great. Or he could work his way up in a company and do very well later on in life. There’s tons of people that do that and they have a good living. It sounds like she’s just reprimanding him and not actually talking to him about what the problem is? Maybe she should just ask him what’s going on?

Mr. Ramsey, I didn't need "male motivation" to go back to college and get my Bachelor's; my mother breathing down my neck (and her mother doing it spiritually) was all the motivation I needed. It's the women in MY family that got things done.

I think a heart to heart with the young man is needed. Talk to a counselor, find out if he is intellectually challenged or unmotivated, and deal with accordingly. Lots of options on the table, military service, trade school, apprenticeship, find out his passion - and motivate him that way. Kudo's to the mom for having a plan, even if it isn't working. And I salute her for reaching out to Dave to discuss other options. Sounds like she isn't afraid of a little tough love, maybe has to try a different tact.

From my experience getting 2 bachelors degrees I'd say you need to work twice as hard for half the grade in university / college vs high school

Id say community college is harder now, Dave is stuck in the sixties and seventies mentality with everything he says and every episode but I absolutely love his Vigor for self advocacy and working hard.. However community's colleges have small 20-30 person classes. So it's difficult to blend in with a hundred plus students and a state college class with 100 people for your English composition when you can easily cheat in those types of classes

Dave is being very judgemental. I graduated high school with a 3.5 GPA and I tried and went to three colleges and ended up with a nervous breakdown. I tried college and did my best but it was not enough. stop assuming her son is not trying!

“C’s get degrees” 😂😂😂

LOL community college not that difficult? My CC was wayyyyyy harder than my 4 year university and ppl who come back to school from prestigious/ well-known university to retake a few courses to apply to graduate school gets the same grade (despite already taking it once) or scores lower.

Community college was just as hard as my four year. I almost failed my science course there because it was difficult, but I passed with a C. Even college level math was extremely hard at community college, I passed with a C. I am usually a B or A grade student by the way.

B average in highschool doesn't translate to doing better in college. I was valedictorian at a private school, straight As in high school, 32 on the ACT (never took the SAT), and I basically flunked out of college. Failing at college (frankly, he's not, he's doing exactly what you should expect) is more indicative of a lack of motivation. Figure out why he isn't motivated for this and realize that maybe this is YOUR dream and not HIS.

So let him fail out, and don't pay for it. He's an adult and if he doesn't care about his education enough to study and work, then let him leave. Your parent should not be watching your grades obsessively in college, especially in a community college

He works.....

He may have a learning problem...

Still find it crazy that people expect 18 year olds to know precisely where they want to go in life and the steps and discipline needed to execute that plan. Perhaps it’s because the parents can’t form goals and action plans themselves. They naturally cram their own failed dreams and aspirations onto their child and the child doesn’t understand the sudden weight on their shoulders. There is no greater burden on a child than the unlived life of a parent.

I think the problem here is that he’s just confused and doesn’t know why major or career move to make. The mother is pushing on him to “go to school, get good grades and become a nurse” type of thing and he’s not interested in his classes. If he’s paying off his classes, he’s earning okay-good money. So he’s also invested into his job. There are many factors that play into his grade, but I think he gets more heat than he deserves.

Wow Dave, I am sure he is not stupid, if it is his first year, it is hard to transition from Highschool and their "not so serious" attitude to college. For many people they mess up their first year before they understand the seriousness of college. Oh and BTW Community College and University classes that are transferable have the same standards.

Daves right about how easy community college is Easy! They hand out B's to anyone with a pulse, they award A's if you earn it and you have to earn a C by not doing the work.

He has no discipline because his mother is treating him like a child. He may be getting bad grades because he has to work too much to pay for his bad grades. He may have cheated or just worked to burnout to get the desired grades through high school and he can’t do it anymore.

2 minutes and Dave knows exactly what the issue is....lol. Stick to financial issues bud.