“Drop-out rates show that the jump from cosseted second-level to you’re-on-your-own third-level can be a transition too far for many students. You knuckled down, you paid your dues, you did your time and sat your Leaving Cert. Now you’ve got the points and a place in university, and everything’s gearing up for freshers’ week when you’ll start life anew as a college student. But are you ready for what’s in store? The news this week that university students are dropping out of science and technology courses in droves raises questions about how well secondary-school students are being prepared for the demands of third-level education …” (more)
[Fiona McCann, Irish Times, 15 August]