DEGREES: More than just A-Level up? / Kerry McIntyre /
/ Image by Rebbecca Hopkinson /
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University provides hundreds of opportunities and events to keep students entertained but what about the reason we are all here: the education? Kerry McIntyre asks students, old and new, about the changes and possible complications the step up to degree level can pose and how to get the best out of your degree.
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n March this year, it was announced that the overall level of students dropping out of university had increased by 13%: from 28,210 to 31,755. This alarming rate is estimated to represent around £95million in wasted tax payers’ money, which was lent to these students for tuition fees alone! One of the main reasons attributed to this high dropout rate is the vast difference between degrees and A-levels, with students being unable to cope with the academic transition. These differences are discovered in the first year so most degree disciplines do not even include these results in the students’ final grade. This is meant to give them time to adjust to the alterations in both lifestyle and learning style, but what actually are these differences? We asked
current students for their opinions on what they found to be the biggest changes between studying for A-levels and for a degree. According to Computer Science student Robin Johnson, the most significant shift he experienced was “the expectation that you have to keep up with course content independently and study it yourself to sufficient depth for one large module exam”. He is not alone in thinking this, many people comment on the movement away from the spoon-feeding of school, to an environment where they are left to their own devices; to find out if they will sink or swim. Robin also commented that this is made worse as students do not “always leave the lecture room fully understanding everything”. Humanities student Laurie
McGee commented that, for him, the biggest difference was “the idea that lectures are only an introduction to a topic”. Many lectures set large book lists, which students are expected to read in their own time, without any guidance or anyone keeping tabs on them. Furthermore, the language in these books can often be a technical step-up, leaving students feeling overwhelmed and resenting the reading. For other students, such as Jon North who studies Population Geography, they find the biggest difference to be the independent study aspect of their courses. He comments that “you need to be able to self-motivate for your degree, otherwise the work can build up and overwhelm you”. This is shown through the expected hours of dedication per week for academic work.