Why young people find the transition between school and university challenging
Answers
What are education transitions?
Most students make many transitions in their school lives. They do so when they:
begin early childhood education and care services
start school
change year levels within a school
transfer from one school to another
shift from primary school to intermediate school, and on to secondary school
move from secondary school to further education, training and employment (Ministry of Education, 2010).
When students change class within or between schools, they must adjust to new surroundings, become familiar with new teachers and peers, learn new ways of working, and make sense of the rules and routines that operate in their classes. While students are navigating the formal school environment, they are also adjusting to the social changes that happen when changing schools and classes.
Young people find the transition between school and university challenging due to these factors:
- The responsibility of the provided freedom. Students are given a lot of freedom in university in comparison to school. It is their choice whether or not attend lectures, make notes, submit assignments or participate in extra curricular. The driving force is really weak.
- The study at university is purely concentrated while the syllabus of school might be broad. Meaning, students have to study much hard in Uni in comparison to school.
- The stress is higher here as during Uni the students have to formulate their career path while managing their results.
- The level of maturity has to be increased because decisions made at university are life-changing.