Concern about career choices
[Thursday, 25 February 2010]

Worry about career choice contributes to drop-out rate

More than a third of first-year university students do not feel ready to choose a course when they enrol, according to Queensland University of Technology law professor Sally Kift.

Professor Kift, who researched first-year issues as an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Fellow, said universities had to work harder to help students make the transition to university.

She said universities had to be welcoming and 'less strange' places for first-year students if first-year drop-out rates - double those of other years - were to be reduced.

She said her research had revealed many students felt quite unsure about the course and career choice they had made.

'Between 30 and 40 per cent of school leavers did not feel that they were ready to make the decision that they had made about the program of study in which they have enrolled,' she said.

'In Year 12 they have made the best decision they can on the information available; they have struggled for their OP and have other priorities; they have got so far but it may not be the right course for them or they may not feel ready to go to university.'

Professor Kift said universities should be having discussions with students very early in their courses about the careers available from their courses and what it was to be a professional in the discipline they were studying.

'We should talk to them, for example, about what it is to be an IT professional or law professional or an engineer,' she said.

Professor Kift said a significant proportion of first-year university students dropped out before week four, university census day, when they could withdraw without financial penalty.

But she said students should be aware support was readily available to help them cope with university life.

'Support is particularly important when the student is the first in their family to go to university,' she said.

'About 40 per cent of students going to QUT are the first in their family to go to university, and the rate is much higher at some other universities.'

Professor Kift advised all first-year students to make new friends, get to know their teachers and to seek advice about their studies.

'Students who feel unsure about their course choice should talk to their university teachers or career counsellors,' she said. 'Don't feel you are the only one feeling this way. Ask someone for help.

'Your program may need tweaking; we may be able to transition you into another course. Just talk to us. Whatever you are feeling is normal.'

Professor Kift said mature-age first-year students were usually more certain about their course choice but often highly anxious about their ability. University services could help build their academic skills.

'All students have trouble balancing their work, life and study,' she said. 'This is particularly so for mature-age students and the many students who have to work to finance their studies.'

She said support services for all students included counselling and career advice services, access to possible financial support, opportunities to work with peer mentors, and academic learning and language advisory services.