This is the second part of our first article in the University Experience and Survival Skills series based on the based on the Sweeney Uni Student Report. In the coming weeks, we will be discussing some of the key issues facing today’s university students and their experiences of university life.
If you’re a prospective student, you may be feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing a course of interest and a university that meets your needs. We’ve provided a step-by-step process below to help you make a decision, which will become easier as you move through the process. Like all big decisions, the first step is to break the problem down into easily manageable chunks…
Narrow down your interests
"But I don’t even know what field I would like to get into?"
Try and narrow down your field of interest.
There is a raft of resources at your fingertips to guide you towards the course or university that best suits your interests, tastes, and talents. Speak to your school career advisers to help identify your career goals. Ask your family and friends who may be able to offer another perspective on strengths.
You might like to ask yourself the following questions…
What do I want to do as a career?
What course will I need to do to pursue the career I seek?
Which course suits my interest and my strengths?
Look for a course that matches your interests
Once you have narrowed down an area of interest, look up the courses available in your preferred field.
The ‘Good University Guide - Job Guide’ is a good starting point. It offers useful tips in helping you identify an occupation that best suits you based on your interest and abilities. Compare Courses also offers information on a range of careers and their educational pathways with a list of courses suited to meet your career goals and experts on hand to answer your questions.
Your choice of course should be informed as much by what you enjoy as what you are good at. The universities that were clear winners in the overall measure of satisfaction are those that impressed students with their individual course experience.
Look for a university that matches your educational needs
With a better indication of what courses are on offer at various universities, you can read up further information from the specific university websites and course guides.
Determine which universities offer the courses you desire and which of those you would like to attend and read up further information from the university websites and course guides.
Courses can differ between universities, where certain universities have a reputation in specific fields.
"But how do I determine which university holds a reputation for which courses?"
Speak to current students, graduates and staff, attend university open days, or hop online. The Good University Guide website provides an in-depth look at how universities compare, broken down by course.
Life outside the lecture theatre
In choosing your university, you should be ambitious, but also realistic. Reputation isn’t the only decision factor that you should consider. Think about the things that are important to you…
Whereabouts do I want to go? Somewhere closer to or away from home? How many hours am I willing to travel?
Our research found that location is of strong importance when deciding on a university, including the city in which the university is based, but also the particular areas within that city (e.g., inner city vs. outer suburbs). Based on the anecdotes of students we spoke to, some prefer studying at city campuses with more convenient access to city living. Others prefer the more relaxed lifestyle that a rural or outer suburban campus can bring.
What campus-style environment would I like to study in? Does it offer me a good social fit?
Social elements are a crucial component of university life and will likely have a high impact on satisfaction with your university experience. In our study, we found that feelings of inclusiveness and a feeling of “fit” is the single biggest predictor of overall university satisfaction.
Many students want more than just ‘books and lectures’ – they also want a social experience at university. The most satisfied students were those who made friends at university; rather than sitting in a lecture hall of 500 strangers, they were impressed with how their universities created environments to socialise.
"My campus is really small, so it's easy to make friends, but in saying that, we don't really hang out after class because there's nothing to do there... there's no place to socialise so it doesn't really facilitate that social environment."
What services, facilities, and access to technology does the university provide?
Our study reveals that technology factors high on students’ lists of importance. This relates to all levels of a university – from access to computing facilities and WiFi right through to the actual university website.
Does having good industry links matter to me?
Perhaps reflective of a competitive employment landscape, the employability and the success of graduates is an important factor. Our research shows that students are not just after a university qualification, but are after a program that has good industry and employer links and one that equips them for the working world.
From our work in the education sector, we are convinced that many prospective students make uninformed decisions about university, simply because they don’t have all the information at hand or a proper understanding of what to expect. This was a point raised by the students themselves.
"It surprised me that someone didn't sit down with me and say, 'this is what your degree is going to be like, this is how the majors work, this is what you have to do to get into Honours and even what Honours is'!!! I felt I was just floating around trying to figure out things myself and not knowing who to ask."
Getting these decisions right can make all the difference to the enjoyment of and the ultimate value of the university years.
What’s in store for next time?
This article has summarised some of the key findings from our study and has provided some key tips to make university choice a less daunting experience. Take a look at our first article for more details on how students make their university choices.
In the next article, we will be talking about survival skills at university, including what to expect and the university ‘jargon’ used. University marketing typically talks to prospective students in a ‘language’ that might not even be fully understood, setting incorrect impressions of what university life involves. And when expectations are not met disappointment sets in.
Students can be overwhelmed with the realities of university. Not surprisingly, when asked how satisfied they were with their university experience, only 44% of students said that they are extremely/very satisfied.
In the next article we will spend some time talking more about some of the expectations that need to be kept in check to ensure students have an enjoyable university experience.
Adeline Ong, PhD
Head of Education
Adeline heads up our Education research portfolio at Sweeney Research.
Completing her Honours degree in marketing and a PhD in consumer behaviour, Adeline has presented and published her work in a number of leading academic conferences and journals. Some of Adeline’s key clients include various universities and learning institutions, where she has worked in a consulting capacity with some of the leading institutions in Australia. Her years in research and academia – both in Australia and overseas have enabled her to understand the intricacies of what our clients in the Education sector require.
CONTACT DETAILS
Adeline Ong
+61 3 9699 8466
adeline.ong@sweeneyresearch.com.au
Page one