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Career coach 'Why over 70% of students drop out of first year in some courses'

Making career decisions can be a difficult process and academia is not for everyone, writes Dearbhla Kelly.

WHY DO FIGURES indicate that more than 70 per cent of students do not get beyond their first year of college in some higher education courses? Overall, about one in six — or just over 6,000 — students did not progress to second year according to research published in the Irish Times recently.

The flash points were Computer Science, Construction and Business courses which recorded some of the highest levels of non-progression. All in all, the university courses recorded the lowest dropout rates (between 10 and 12 per cent), while in some non-university courses, the figures are double that.

Unrealistic Expectations

Courses with non-progression rates of more than 70 per cent include Computing with Software Development, Computing and Games Development, Industrial Physics, and Computer Forensics and Security.

Thomas Dowling, Head of Computer Science in LYIT, says that students enter a Computer and Games Development course thinking they are going to play games all week long.

They forget that they are required to do programming, databases and basic communication. They also lack an understanding about what Computer Science is all about and that it is a practical course that requires long hours. The Leaving Cert doesn’t prepare students for this discipline. They can often envy students who seem freer on other programmes, and can get disgruntled about the commitment and attendance required of Computer Science.

As a preparation, he recommends that young people join for example, a CoderDojo before signing up to these courses.

Also, many students I meet were attracted to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths courses due to the marketing drive and promises of high wages.

Points Driven

When talking with young people I am acutely aware that many students have an idea of the points that they want to get, yet they don’t know what they want to do. This is a product of a system and society that is obsessed with points and grades as reflections of success.

A Leaving Cert student told me this week:

“I know I want about 450 points. My friend totted up his points at Christmas and he got 625 points. He doesn’t know what he wants to do. In fact, most of my friends don’t know what they want to do.”

I acknowledge also that parents and students are overwhelmed by the extensive choice. Some don’t know where to start. I spoke to one Educational Consultant in a Dublin university, who said:

“Students are not taking the time to do the research, go to open days, look at the course content and work shadow. They then land in a course which doesn’t meet their expectations and they cannot unpick their chosen field. Of course, the cutbacks to guidance in schools does not help either as the resources vary from school to school.”

This echoes Why Students Leave, a report commissioned by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, which finds that the main reason for dropping out was choosing the wrong course. This survey highlighted that most decisions were made in the lead-up to exams when students were under pressure.

Transition issues

There are various coping skills issues which lead to withdrawals. Firstly, students in secondary school are spoon-fed and hand-held by their schools. When they enter third level not all of them are prepared for independent and self-regulated learning.

Some may hit a bump on the road, fall after the first hurdle and may give up easily. Anxiety and mental health also play a role. Colleges are responding to this through counselling at red alert times: during the first six weeks, after Christmas and before final exams.

There are other issues too, such as financial considerations. This is a concern for many students since they either cannot get accommodation in Dublin or can’t afford the costs. Some students are travelling 1 to 2 hours each way, to and from college.

Early specialisation

Courses experiencing high levels of dropouts are highly-specialised courses. They offer the student little flexibility.

Students would be well advised to consider a broader or common entry degree in Arts, Science, Engineering or Commerce, which allow students to experience three subjects in first year, before specialising in second year.

Philip Nolan, president of Maynooth University, is driving this flexible approach to learning, whereby a majority of the college’s students are opting to study a wide range of subjects under recent changes to its undergraduate programmes. Maynooth University’s greater flexibility in subject selection and support is also helping to boost student engagement and combat dropout rates.

Age of distraction

In addition to the factors of unrealistic expectations, a points-driven culture, coping skills and early specialisation, we are living in an age of constant distraction. Young people are plugged into the Internet or their smartphone 24/7.

Student advisors tell me that students are unable to concentrate and sometimes have trouble staying awake in the lecture halls. They are attributing this to interrupted sleep at night. Sleep, as we know, is central to learning and accessing our ability to think, problem-solve and memorise.

It seems to me that it is important our students learn to unplug, rest, relax and sleep in order to make full use of their brain’s capacity.

Resilience

While this opinion piece attempts to uncover some of the many reasons leading to dropouts, I would also like to salute the resilience and the bravery of some young people who strategically leave a course.

In the past year I worked with four college dropouts who struggled in their courses. One started a Music degree, dropped out, got work, saved money and reapplied to college to do Primary Teaching. Another dropped out of Computer Science, worked in a bar, saved up and now is happily studying Marketing.

All of them used their time in college as a learning experience and learned about their strengths, talents, aptitudes and motivation. As a result, they made more informed choices.

Choosing a career

Making career decisions can be a difficult process. Academia is not for everyone. Some people flourish in more practical environments. Vocational courses such as Post Leaving Cert courses and apprenticeships are an equally viable career path.

Dropping out of college is a tough learning experience. It costs parents and families money, and young people can experience it as a setback in confidence and in their self-belief. So, before you go climbing the ladder of success, make sure it is leaning against the right wall.

Dearbhla Kelly is a Master Trainer and Career Coach. She has a Masters in Sociology from Kobe University, Japan and studied Guidance and Counselling in UCD. Recently, Dearbhla published ‘Career Coach- a Step by Step Guide to Help Your Teen Find Their Life’s Purpose’ with Gill and Co. To find out more visit www.dearbhlakelly.com.

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36 Comments
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    Mute Lisa Murphy
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:51 PM

    NY Times issued an apology – “I’m sorry if you were offended ….” Not really good enough.

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    Mute Jack Dunne
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:09 PM

    The dead should be mourned but so should those with life changing injuries

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    Mute Jules Lucas
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:46 PM

    It was distasteful and really not appropriate for them to criticise Irish students in their reporting. These families are destroyed and it was insensitive at such a tragic and heartbreaking time. There’s a time & a place guys.

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    Mute Jimmy Murphy
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:53 PM

    Disgusting, irresponsible & soulless journalism.

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    Mute Hazel Walsh
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    Jun 18th 2015, 12:57 AM

    This was a group of young people who apparently made the mistake of being Irish, drunk and standing on a faulty balcony. Are they implying that being drunk, Irish and at a party is to blame for this tragedy? Because that’s what I’m getting from that NYT article. If it was any other nationality on that J1 they would not have written the article from that angle.

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    Mute Celeste Vogel Dillon
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    Jun 18th 2015, 3:39 PM

    Correction — they were drinking —- we do not know if they were “Drunk” or for that matter how many were drinking — as a lot of young people I know do not drink!!! Assumption and presumption is the mother of all F——ups never assume you know or they know what they are talking about —- and presumption — just because they were Irish the NTY made that presumption that they were drunk, is preposterous…. we do not know !!!!!

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    Mute Ruth Durnin
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    Jun 18th 2015, 12:16 AM

    The Irish Mirror printed a supposed interview with a student that never took place.
    Total fabrication .

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    Mute John Reese
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    Jun 18th 2015, 12:06 AM

    Sadly the NY Times a once great institution and like many once great newspapers has long fallen off the cliff into gutter journalism.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:11 PM

    Why is the Journal taking this tragedy and using it to bait the NYT. I thinkone articlein itis enough. It was one line in one poorly judged article. There have been many similarly poor articles published on this website but because the subjects weren’t white Irish it’s all fair game. Do you hire people full time to trawl through American, Australian and UK papers to find things we can be offended by?

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    Mute jane
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    Jun 17th 2015, 11:21 PM

    No way guru. I read the article this morning and it was the tone of the first half of the article that was unsettling. Simply not true to say it was one line. Families deserve better.

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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Jun 18th 2015, 8:43 AM

    Fair share of victim blaming in the commentary of this article from just a few days ago.
    http://www.thejournal.ie/us-shark-attacks-2161970-Jun2015/

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    Mute Patricia Tsouros
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    Jun 18th 2015, 4:07 PM

    We need to remember we were all that age once, looking forward to life’s adventures. They were having a 21st party – pretty normal- they stepped out onto a badly, deadly engineered balcony and fell to their deaths – how could they know they were on a death trap. God love them, the injured and their families. The press in general have been very good with coverage and respect, the exceptions well they are not worth reading.

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    Mute Brian Kelly-Mór
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    Jun 18th 2015, 7:59 AM

    Hight quality reporting can be found no matter how fast the technology. Example:- the Parliament shooting in Ottawa last year was handled with class by the journalist in the CBC.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jun 19th 2015, 1:01 PM

    Once again, we see a tragedy used as a vehicle for promoting an agendist concept.
    Sometimes people are victims due to combinations of circumstances and their own actions.
    How else can these events be reported?

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    Mute fact&ionlydealinfact
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    Jun 21st 2015, 6:11 PM

    I’m bored with this story now, can the next disaster hurry up please.

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