Thequalityofuniversitylifeisunderstrainfromtherelentlessexpansionofhighereducation,leadingindependentschoolsinBritaincomplained.
Thewarningfollowedsurveyoftheimpressionsofcampuslifegainedbyformerpupilsoftheschools.
Infrequentcontactwithtutors,worriesoverstudentsafety,andevengrumblesoverthefoodwereallseenassymptomsofthepressureonuniversities.
Headteacherssaidthatstandardscouldwelldropifthesqueezeonuniversitybudgetscontinued.
Asurveywascarriedoutbecauseoffearsthatthelevelofpastoralcareinuniversitieshasdeclined.
Anumberofstudents'suicideshadraisedconcernsamongheadteachers.
Althoughmostofthe6,000studentssurveyedwereenjoyinguniversitylife,almostathirdwerelesssatisfiedwiththeircourse.
Aboutoneintenhadseriousfinancialproblemsandsomegavealarmingaccountsofconditionsaroundtheirhallsofresidence.
Incidentsquotedincludedafatalstabbingandshootingoutsideahallofresidence,thepetrol-bombingofcarsnearanotherresidence,andtworacistattacks.
Ninepercentofwomenandsevenpercentofmenratedsecurityasunsatisfactoryintheareawheretheylived.
Thesurveyconfirmedheadteachers'fearsaboutcontactbetweenstudentsandtutorsslipping,withaquarterofthestudentsseeingtheirtutoronlyeverythreeweeks.
Newstudents,usedtoregularcontactwiththeirteachers,foundithardtoadapttothechange.
Interviewtechniqueswereacauseforconcern,withtheschoolcallingformoretrainingoftheuniversitystaffinvolvedinadmissions.
Someheadmasterscomplainedthatinterviewwereincreasingly“eccentric”.
Onegreetedanapplicantbythrowinghimanapple.
Anotherinterviewlastedonlythreeminutes.
Aboutaquarterofthestudentsfoundtheworkloadatuniversityheavierthantheyhadexpected.
Thereweredifferencesbetweensubjects,witharchitecture,engineering,veterinaryscience,medicineandsomesciencesubjectsdemandingthemostwork.
Thesurveyalsoconfirmedpreviousconcernsaboutpossibleracialbiasinadmissionstomedicalcourses.
Applicantswithnamessuggestinganethnicminoritybackgroundhadbeenrejectedbywhitecandidateswiththesamequalifications.