The implications for students at the University of Newcastle of taking a break between High School and University
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Student experiences of higher education are impacted by the path they choose to take in entering university. This study focuses on the experiences of students who have entered university in their twenties as it is this specific demographic that tend to experience a complicated transition into higher education. The participants involved range from those whom had attempted university straight out of high school, withdrew and have now returned, to those who had made the choice to delay higher education and enter later. The findings will reveal that young mature age students experience difficulties searching for identity in University on the basis of their age. Despite this, as older students who have taken time off to discover what type of career they want to pursue, they are more likely to be entering university with a sense of confidence in themselves that younger students lack. The objective aim of the research is to comment on the idea that the university environment welcomes students who are entering university straight out of high school disproportionately to those who have delayed higher education. It will be argued that the qualities that young mature aged students possess are an asset to universities. In this sense, it is important that universities seek to ensure that they have a greater understanding of the transitional experience of these students in order to generate improvements. The research question is as follows:
How do students at the University of Newcastle who seek higher education in their twenties experience the transition into student life?
Background and Literature
There is limited research available about the experiences of young mature aged students, however, Mallman and Lee (2017) did directly reference this cohort of students in a paper they entitled ‘Isolated learners: young mature-age students, university culture and desire for academic sociability’. Similarly, to the study being undertaken through this analysis, Mallman and Lee (2017) draw on the complex implications of assigning labels such as ‘mature aged’ to students who have entered university in their early twenties to early thirties. These complications arise from the fact that students in this age range struggle to relate to the experience of those who have entered much later in life and therefore the generalised label of ‘mature aged’ fails to portray their personal experience of university (Mallman & Lee, 2017 513). This leads to students feeling isolated as they are more blatantly aware of the age gap between them and other students. On the other hand, it is noted that this particular cohort are more likely to succeed academically as they feel motivated and appreciate their study differently to how they did when they were teenagers (2017; 519).
Further research explored in the background of this study related to experiences of mature aged students more generally. Brooks (2015; 55) argued that feelings of isolation amongst mature aged students arise from the fact that society has deemed their decision to enter university later as a ‘postponement of adulthood’ (Brooks, 2015; 55). On this basis, social divisions within higher education can be attributed partly to the fact that these students are considered to have ‘rebelled’ against the accepted order of growth and development and thus their experience is not a priority to universities. Heagney and Benson (2017; 217) recognised this lack of institutional support for older students in general and argued that this was a critical mistake being made by universities. Mature aged students are likely to be more academically focused and committed then those younger than them and are therefore a good investment for the universities that enrol them.
Research Methodology
A qualitative, inductive methodology was adopted in order to ensure that the process of data analysis generated ‘theory, knowledge and propositions about the social world’ (Waller et al., 2005; 33). The process of data collection was intended to be open and exploratory. It was important that an analysis was formed based on the responses of participants as opposed to any preconceived ideas of the researcher. Further, the researcher engaged with a criticalist paradigm in order to recognise and critique the implications of social realities and norms for students who have taken a varied path in entering university (Waller et al., 2005; 9).
The purposive sampling technique was used in order to select participants as it was important that the data collected reflected the experiences of students with particular attributes that contributed to the topic of study (Waller et al., 2005; 67). The inclusion criteria for the study were students who entered the current degree they are studying when they were in their twenties, students at the University of Newcastle and students who are able to read and understand English. Criticalist researchers argue that it is important to challenge social norms and in doing so, deconstruct power structures. The process of data collection was, therefore, conducted through semi-structured interviews with individual participants (Waller et al., 2005; 16). This technique enabled participants to draw on their own personal experiences and reflect on how it has impacted them throughout their studies. The interviews were conducted in the participants’ home where they felt safe and comfortable and ran for approximately forty-five minutes each. The conversation between the participant and researcher flowed naturally at times, however particular questions proved difficult for certain participants to answer. These difficulties did not significantly impact the quality of data produced and each participant offered valuable insight into the experiences of students who enter university in their twenties.
The interviews were recorded using the ‘voice recorder’ app on the researchers’ mobile phone. Prior to each interview the recordings were manually transcribed and the transcriptions, along with the notes taken during the course of the interview were used as a source of analysis. The analysis process followed three steps (Waller et al. 2016; 164-165). The first was open coding wherein the researcher identified key themes arising in the data. Following this, the researcher became immersed in the data by printing out multiple copies, highlighting various parts of each copy and searching for meaning in the quotes provided by the participants. The final step involved the researcher comparing the meaning uncovered within the literature and generating conclusions by demonstrating what the new data revealed about the project’s main question (O’Leary, 2009; 267). Difficulties in the analysis phase arose where each participant had conflicting opinions about a particular theme. For example, ‘socialising’ was a key theme in the findings, however, each participant identified with having a different experience of socialising at university as a student who had entered in their twenties. In this case it was difficult to identify any patterns of meaning that may contribute to the overarching objectives and aims of the project (O’Leary, 2009; 267).
Ethical Considerations:
Qualitative research aims to be credible and trustworthy, therefore it was important that the research was conducted honestly, respectfully and fairly (Waller et al., 2015; 52). In order to ensure that I was respecting the rights, dignity and self-determination of the participants, each were accurately informed about the nature of the research being conducted and any potential harm that it may cause (Waller et al., 2016; 46). Informed consent was acquired through a signed consent form prior to the interviews taking place. It was important to recognise that participants had the potential to feel vulnerable and exposed during the interviews and in the process of analysis following the interviews. To combat this, participants were made aware that they had the power over their information and could withdraw their consent at any time. Further, participants were promised confidentiality in the sense that any identifying information would not be included in the research report (Waller et al., 2016; 48). Pseudonyms are used in this report to identify varying participants and consent forms have remained separate to the information provided by each individual. It is important to note that in accordance with the guidelines of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) ethics approval was granted by the University Ethics Committee prior to any interviews taking place. There were no issues raised by the committee during this time and the participants did not express any concerns regarding ethical conduct throughout the course of the research process.
Findings
The Pressure of Finishing High School
Throughout the interviews, all four participants reflected on their memories of finishing high school and the process of deciding what their next step would be. In speaking to this experience each participant identified with feeling pressure to enter university. For Dana, this pressure manifested throughout interactions with her peers during her time in high school:
‘Yeah, I think most people I went to high school went either straight on to university or took a gap year and went on to university. So, it was sort of the normal thing to do’.
(Dana, Female, 28)
The use of the term ‘normal’ in Dana’s quote to describe the decision to enter university straight out of high school is connected to an idea found in the literature that delaying higher education is considered a ‘postponement of adulthood’ (Brooks, 2015; 55). In this sense, Dana felt an expectation to enter university straight away on the basis that it was considered the normal transition into adult life. In delaying this step, she was rebelling against a social pattern. Amanda identified with feeling pressure from her peers at the end of her high school experience as well, however, in a slightly varying way. Amanda felt pressure to know what she wanted to do and have certainty in that:
‘I think people I knew, knew what they wanted to do…there was a couple of people who were close to me who changed paths, but a lot of them did stick with going to university and got it done pretty quickly and didn’t float around or search for other options before committing’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
Similar to the findings in Mallman and Lee (2017; 519), both Dana and Amanda’s reflections reveal that young mature age students tend to experience a sense of isolation in that everyone else around them had seemingly decided what they wanted to do at an early age. It is apparent from the evidence that these feelings impact these students’ perceptions of themselves as they attempt to transition into higher education at a later age. Jenny noted that her understanding of university in high school related directly to social stature.
‘It’s kind of like, also like a social thing as well to say you’ve got a degree. And even thinking like later in life, to be able to say that you have a degree as well. So yeah, it is like a social requirement, you just feel like you have to have a degree to be smart or to say you have had an education’.
(Jenny, Female, 24)
In this sense, the achievement of a university degree is a ‘rite of passage’ into certain areas of socialisation. Amanda and Chelsea both felt that the schooling system itself advanced this understanding by applying pressure on students to go to university.
‘…it was kind of like, you either go to TAFE or you go to university, and if you don’t do one of those, then what are you going to be a checkout chick? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but you know that was the kind of dialogue that was used towards me’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
‘I think that there was pressure from the schooling system to go into university but there was no pressure from my family…’
(Chelsea, Female, 25)
Similar to the point made by Brooks (2005; 67), these quotes support the idea that high schools encourage a single and directed path into adult hood that is perhaps limiting students’ potential to explore their own individualism, independence and autonomy.
Trial and Error
Three out of four participants noted that this pressure persuaded them to enter university despite not being certain about what career they wanted to do.
‘’Well, I went to University straight out of high school originally and I was there for a week, maybe not even, maybe a few days and I left straight away’.
(Chelsea, Female, 25)
‘I attempted some other degrees, but I have had a break for the past two years so I could figure out what I wanted to do’.
(Jenny, Female, 24)
‘I did originally [start university straight out of high school] and then reneged on that idea because I wasn’t in the right – I mean how can you ask an eighteen-year-old to start thinking about teaching children I guess’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
Despite the research originally being aimed at revealing the experiences of students who choose to delay higher education, this finding was significant as it demonstrates a pattern in the current schooling system. Applying pressure to students to enter university straight out of high school is causing young people to feel limited in their options. The outcome of this is that students are trialling different degrees, dropping out early and building up student debt. In applying a criticalist perspective it is important to acknowledge that as a structure of power the schooling system has the ability to influence social realities and impact student’s perceptions of themselves as they are finishing high school and entering university.
Seeking Identity as a Student Entering University in their Twenties
It was prevalent throughout the interviewing process that each participant had experienced a struggle to identify with their cohort or the people around them due to the fact that they had entered university in their twenties. This presented in different ways for the participants however, the key issues concerned students’ awareness of their age and their tendency to compare themselves to others.
Awareness of Age
The findings in Mallman and Lee (2017; 520) that young mature age students felt blatantly aware of the age gap between them and other students is supported by the current research. Dana noted her struggle to find people her age and the way this impacts her sense of belonging at university.
‘I do not notice anyone around my age. I think even the mature age, like well, I don’t know if you would call them mature age students, but like there is a cohort that has I guess skipped or waited two or three years. I think that is fairly common. But there is a bigger age gap, a more significant age gap, between me and the, you know, the people who have just come out of high school…a part from that there is either people a lot older than me, or maybe like a couple of years young than me. But yeah not very many at all’.
(Dana, Female, 28)
‘I definitely feel a bit out of place, especially when you are being taught by people who are younger than you. I guess that’s kind of a weird thing I guess’.
(Dana, Female, 28)
Amanda felt that awareness of her age had caused her to feel ‘old’ in comparison to the people around her at university.
‘I feel like my whole mid-twenties I have felt really old in comparison to a lot of other people I know who have finished their degree and they’re life feels like it is just starting. Whereas, I feel like I am stagnant and old and I don’t see myself as the fifty or sixty year old who has gone back to uni because they are changing their life path and that’s all well and good but there is definitely a big difference between me and a young student and me a like a full mature age student’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
As Mallman and Lee (2017; 520) suggest, relating to others and being able to confide in one another is an important part of the university experience. This research reveals, however, that a significant number of students are likely missing out on this experience as a result of their age and/or circumstance in entering university.
Comparison
Each participant noted that they had a tendency to compare their current positions to that of the peers they had in high school and that doing this made them feel that as a twenty-four, twenty-five or twenty-eight year-old university student they were behind or ‘late to the party’ (Amanda, Female, 25).
‘I see majority of people that I am friends with or that I see on social media who I knew from high school, they have all got careers or families, or have finished with university. No one I know is still at uni who is my age, from my home town, I guess, they are all pretty settled in their own lives and I am not.’
(Amanda, Female, 25)
‘I think, I definitely feel, um, because my career as a dancer it was never stable, it was never a full-time job, it was always just contracts and you never had financial stability and so most of my friends now own a house and have had a full-time job for ten years or something like that. So there is that feeling of, not failure, but like it is easy to compare myself to others’.
(Dana, Female, 28)
‘Um I think sometimes I have been like ‘oh frig I wish I was already there’ etc……I don’t know so, sometimes every now and then when I was probably just starting uni I was like ‘oh my god you know all my high school friends, you know all the ones that went [to university], are all finishing, they’ve got their jobs, they’re all on their 80k a year and looking to buy a house, I’ve f*** up’, but then I’m like ‘no you didn’t f** up’.
(Chelsea, Female, 25)
Benefits of Entering University Later
Despite the difficulties they face, each participant spoke extensively to the benefits of entering university later. Each participant felt that they were in degrees that they were interested in pursuing and that they had come to this realisation after taking time off.
Confidence
A number of participants, in particular, noted that they were highly confident in their chosen career path and attributed this to the level of maturity they had gained after taking time off.
‘I think it is good going into university with the level of maturity, um I think just having a bit more confidence, despite the fear of starting university, I had a better idea of who I was as a person um, going into it. And I did gain a lot of skills in dance that I have found helped through my studies’.
(Dana, Female, 28)
‘But I was kind of more, excited, probably, because I now had a purpose and I knew what I wanted to do’
(Amanda, Female, 25)
Amanda noted that her time off allowed her to learn things about herself that would greatly impact her academic success.
‘I think it benefited me because when I eventually went back to uni, I was for certain, I knew what I wanted to an extent….and I wanted a degree behind me. I think it benefited me because I was more confident and it was more coherent and I knew a lot, personally about myself in terms of ADHD and things like that, like I knew what was going on now and I wouldn’t have back then, I potentially would have done a degree before I found that out’
(Amanda, Female, 25)
Chelsea also recognised that the confidence her time travelling gave her has contributed significantly to her current success in academic.
‘….not that travelling gives you experience, but it gives you confidence, a bit of life experience I guess. You’re not stuck working your same 12-8 at “grill’d” every Monday to Friday and you’re not stuck going to the same night club or whatever. You know you get out and you just do a bit more. I don’t think I would have succeeded to the point that I am succeeding now if I was at uni from the age of 18’.
(Chelsea, Female, 25)
The idea that students entering university later are more committed to specific goals and have a stronger purpose in their studies offers a potential explanation for the point made in Brooks (2005; 63) that older students often produced higher quality work than their younger counterparts. If students are entering their degree with a stronger sense of who they are and what career they want to pursue, it is reasonable to expect that this sense of commitment is going to have a positive impact on their academic results.
Limitations in Entering University Later
The participants noted that there were limitations that came with being an older student at university. Amanda identified that her ability to access the social life of a university student was significantly constrained by the fact that she was an older student.
‘I think I have missed that social aspect of it, I don’t have a lot of people who are around my age in my courses, a lot of them are younger or far older and so I think that I missed that kind of socialisation which you’d get if you went full-time when you were younger’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
The other participants, however, did not feel that this had an impact on them. They were quite happy to attend classes, talk to a small number of other students and return home to their life outside of university.
‘I don’t care pretty much. It just you know I am 25, I have a life, uni isn’t like a social aspect for me as it might have been when I was eighteen. You know I probably would have gone to all of the orientation days and things like that but now its just ‘get in, get the job done, get my degree so I can go have a career really’. I do like going to the bar hill after class though with my one friend.
(Chelsea, Female, 25)
Further, a number of the participants noted that as older students they had more responsibilities in their lives outside of study and that this was a limitation on their ability to engage with content and extra-curricular activities. Jenny, in particular, felt that this had a negative impact on her ability to commit to her study.
‘I want to be a really committed studier but I think I have so many things going on in the outside [world] I find it hard. I can’t really study to a schedule specifically. So, like at the moment, I am up to date on one subject. Because my life is so sporadic and random it is so hard to stay on top of it and then I get to a point where I am now where I am like ‘oh I’ve got all this time I am just going to cram in study’.
(Jenny, Female, 24)
Further, Amanda felt that she was not able to engage with extra-curricular activities at the university due to her responsibilities being a time constraint.
‘I think because I work full time on top of studying full-time, there is not really enough time to do any of those extra-curricular’s, it’s a bit much. I’m not on centrelink, I am supporting myself and I have adult friends outside of university who I also have to go and like see and I have other relationships that I have to keep up to date with along with the work-load. So, it is borderline impossible to be joining an extra-curricular, really’.
(Amanda, Female, 25)
These issues demonstrate the complex disadvantages that young mature students experience. Similar to the argument made by Heagney and Benson (2017; 216), it is apparent that institutions are failing to recognise these disadvantages and provide support where necessary.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that the experiences of students entering university in their twenties is significantly impacted by two competing conditions of their circumstances. The first is that academically, they each identify as feeling that their maturity has allowed them to achieve more success. Students entering university in their twenties have a reason for seeking higher education that is external to the social and institutional pressure they had faced during high school. The confidence that comes with having a purpose and a goal in studying enables students to commit themselves and excel in higher education. The second aspect is that they struggle to identify with others on account of age and academic positioning. This is a product of social design. On the basis that there is minimal support for older students who struggle with competing responsibilities and limited access into social arenas in the University environment, it is reasonable to conclude that higher education institutions facilitate this social design. The life experience that these students are able to bring to their chosen degree is an asset to any university. It is critical then, that universities are exploring ways to enable these students to feel welcomed into higher education. To achieve this, it will be necessary to understand the power that educational institutions hold over students. In encouraging the position that students should follow a fixed path after high school, the schooling system is offering no consideration for the value of independence and individuality. This study reveals that success is greater where students have passion and ambition in their chosen field and that these traits are acquired through individual exploration and discovery. Perhaps it is time then, that society reconsider the pressure that is placed on young students to start building their career as soon as possible and allow them time to evaluate what they want that career to be. It is, after all, in the best interest of society and the economy to limit the number of students withdrawing from university and engaging in degree ‘shopping’ as this is only delaying career progression further and significantly increasing student debt in the process.
References
Brooks, R (2005) ‘The construction of “age differences” and the impact of age-mixing within UK further education colleges’, British journal of sociology of education, 26(1):55-70.
Heagney, M and Benson, R (2017) ‘How mature-age students succeed in higher education: implications for institutional support’, Journal of higher education policy and management, 39(3):216-234.
Mallman, M and Lee, H (2017) ‘Isolated learners: young mature age students, university culture and desire for academic sociability’, International journal of lifelong education, 36(5):512-525.
O’Leary, Z (2009) Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, SAGE Publications.
Waller V, Garquharson K and Dempsey D (2015) Qualitative Social Research: Contemporary Methods for the Digital Age, SAGE Publications Ltd. (UK).
Interview Schedule
1. What is the degree you are studying?
2. How did you come to the decision to enter university when you did? Why did you choose to delay your study?
3. How did you come to decide on this degree?
4. Were you aware you wanted to do this in high school?
5. How would you describe your understanding of university in high school? Did you consider it the normal next step?
a. Did you feel pressure to go to university straight away?
b. Did you feel pressure to know what you wanted to do straight away?
c. How did you think the people around you at the time you were in high school may have influenced your decision?
6. What were you doing in between high school and university?
7. How do you think this experience may have benefited/disadvantaged you looking back on it now?
8. How did you feel about starting university?
a. Any feelings of nervousness/anxiousness? Excitement?
9. How do you think you engage with your fellow students?
a. Do you have many close friends at university?
b. How would you describe the relationships you do have?
10. How would you describe your involvement with university life?
a. Are you involved in any clubs? Why/why not?
b. Do you make use of opportunities to meet people/engage with the resources available?
11. How does your age affect your ability to engage with university life?
a. Do you think you have missed out on anything?
b. Do you have any regrets about entering university later?
c. Do you know many people who are the same age as you? How do you approach this age divide?
d. How do you think that your age effects how other students interact with you?
12. How do you feel about identifying as a mature age student? How do you think this label fits in with your experience at university?
13. How do you think your experience may have been different if you had entered university straight out of high school?
14. How do you think you may have benefited from entering university later?
15. What would you describe as some disadvantages?
16. What type of career or lifestyle are you working towards through your studies?
a. How do you imagine that you will achieve this goal?
b. How do you feel you relate to your fellow students or other people your age in your goals?
c. Do you have many people around you that are on similar paths?
17. How would you describe your relationship with studying?
a. Do you engage easily with the learning content? Why/why not?
18. How might your experience engaging with the learning content differ from the experience you may have had if you entered university when you were 17/18?
19. How do you feel you manage your competing responsibilities in and out of university?
20. How do you think you relate to people outside of university in terms of your goals? Do you think the people around you are understanding of your competing responsibilities?
21. How do you think it impacts you when you see other people finishing university at your age?
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