03 Aug 2015

Sshhh…only tears now….

According to The Australian, tears are all that’s left for most as uni drop-out rates “hit their highest level for eight years.”

Why the trend in attrition rates? Experts say there is a direct correlation between increasing attrition rates and the introduction of the demand-driven system in 2013, which allowed universities to enroll as many students as they deemed qualified. This quantity over quality game-plan has produced a 14.44 per cent national average drop-out rate for first-year students in 2013, the highest since 2005.

Basically, if the uni thinks you’re qualified, you’re enrolled, which isn’t the same thing as being actuallyqualified.

Richard James, a University of Melbourne professor, told The Australian, “It’s students who did not get into their university or course of first preference and who have gone in with marginal levels of commitment.”

On the other hand, Jennelle Kyd, Swinburne’s senior deputy vice-chancellor, defended the statistics as not all doom-and-gloom: “You have to recognise the average age of students is 31; they are older, life gets in the way, sometimes it is several years since they last studied.”

All in all, it would appear the attempt to increase enrolments in universities is costing students thousands in dollars and time and energy that could’ve been better spent navigating a different avenue for their futures.

Andrew Norton, a higher education policy expert with the Grattan Institute, said he “fully supported the continuance of the demand-driven system but serious questions needed to be asked about the academic standards of some of the institutions when admitting students.”

Another option is considering different outlets for future potential, study, and employment. The funnel approach taken by schools overlooks students’ potential undertaking an apprenticeship, traineeship, or gap year for real-world experience.

Take your future into your own hands. Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do when they grow up. Lives change, ambitions change, and people especially change. We’re here to give you the options, to make sure you experience anything and everything you choose to the fullest. We know you won’t want to talk to us about everything, but if you want to know about travelling, studying, or even what mixer goes with what …anything…we’ll pause the Xbox to take that call…