Fionn O’Dea
Deputy News Editor
The results of the first National Student Survey conducted by Campus.ie have been revealed, with 54% of the 3,895 participants admitting to feeling depressed at times as a result of the pressures of College life.
The survey also revealed that half of those questioned have tried an illegal drug, while 34% have considered dropping out of College as a result of college-related stress. 59% identify themselves as Roman Catholic, compared to 84.2% nationally.
Students were quizzed on over 100 matters relating to their College experience in the final months of the last academic year. The worrying statistics on depression come at a time when colleges across the country are placing paramount emphasis on mental health as a serious issue affecting students.
Speaking to The University Times TCDSU Welfare Officer Aisling Ni Chonaire admitted she wasn’t surprised by the statistics relating to mental health issues. “Every single person in the world, without fail, has days where they feel down. It’s totally normal.” Much work is being done to counter this and there are so many options for people with depression in college. You can use Nightline, the college counsellors, and there are lots of podcasts which have been really helpful. There’s a psychiatrist in the health centre or you can talk to the GPs. Nightline got about 4,000 calls last year. The depression figure is worrying but all I can say is ‘we’re doing our best’”.
Commenting on the finding that 34% of those surveyed have considered dropping out due to stress, TCDSU Education Officer Dan Ferrick stated that academic problems do not usually inform the consideration of dropping out and tend to act as “the symptom of a problem rather than the cause”. Oftentimes, the decision to drop out can be linked to underlying problems such as depression or family issues. He pointed to the various initiatives run by the College to minimize student stress such as Student Learning Development and Exam Success Guides. “Entering college is a huge change in someone’s life and sometimes students have difficulties making the adjustment from second level education”, he said.
Despite the services offered by third level institutions around the country, 30% of Ireland’s students are unsure if their college offers any help or extra resources to students in difficulty. “I’m not surprised by that figure” Ferrick continued. “I know that when I suggest Student Learning Development to students they run a mile from it because they don’t think it’s for them. We push the services as much as we can and we try think of innovative new ways to get the services out there. Unfortunately, you sometimes do have to drag people in.”
The survey showed that with the benefit of hindsight, 44% of students would change their CAO if they could. Ferrick believes that this is a problem most likely to affect first years and that there’s a likelihood that “as you progress in your course, you learn to love it. If you ask all of first year BESS if they would like to change course, quite a few might say yes but if you ask third year BESS students who are in a smaller, more specialist classes, that figure would probably be smaller.” The majority of students surveyed claimed they would switch to business or science courses, reflecting the concerns among students regarding graduate employment prospects.
In addition, 15% of those surveyed admitted to cheating during a college exam or on an assignment. “If students are caught cheating in our college it’s a huge, huge deal and could mean forced removal from college. In university, ideas are currency and plagiarism is effectively the same as stealing”, noted Ferrick.
The survey revealed that the majority of students go out at least once a week and highlights a stereotypical unhealthy student lifestyle. 14% of students never get 30 minutes exercise while half have used an illegal drug. “As long as you’re making informed decisions, it’s up to you” said Ni Chonaire. “You might be thinking ‘I’m going out tonight but I’m going to have something good to eat beforehand, I might have have drink of water between drinks, make sure my friends get home safe, and make sure I have enough money to get home. But the majority of adults are outside the healthy range for drinking behavior and that’s not good enough, I just think it’s scary”, she added.
Other findings include an overwhelming approval rate for the course that each student is currently studying (86%) and the revelation that there are at least 24 students in the country who proudly claim to brush their teeth less than once a day.
Additional reporting by Jack Leahy.
The full results of the National Student Survey can be found here.
