Results from a survey carried out by HEPI/Unite examining university applicants’ attitudes and perceptions have just been published. This is a new survey looking at how young people applying to university for the first time think about the upcoming transition to life as a student.
Headline outcomes are as follows:
- For over one-third of applicants (36%), the university open day is one of the main reasons for choosing a particular institution
- Almost three quarters (72%) rated a TEF Gold rating as important, with just over a quarter (27%) of all applicants rating it as very important
- More than half of applicants (53%) expect that there will be more support for mental health issues at university than is available at school
- 78% of applicants expect more financial advice from university than they received at school
- In comparison to their school experience, two thirds (66%) of applicants expect more group work
- More than half (60%) expect to spend more time in lectures than in their school classroom
- Almost half of those surveyed (46%) believe that there will be more one-to-one academic support available at university, compared to their experience at school
The report is available at http://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Reality-Check-Report-Online1.pdf. There are some interesting examples of how universities are addressing these issues, including providing pre-arrival support for disabilities and mental health issues, and promoting the idea of the ‘Sticky Campus’ which is of particular benefit for commuter students; UK universities implementing the sticky campus concept include Abertay University, the University of Manchester and Staffordshire University.
How sticky do you think our campus is and what can we do to make it stickier?!