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,iththeschoolcallingformoretrainingoftheuniversitystaffinvolvedinadmissions.Someheadmasterscomplainedthatinterviewereincreasingly“eccentric”.Onegreetedanapplicantbythrowinghimanapple.
Anotherinterviewlastedonlythreeminutes.Aboutaquarterofthestudentsfoundtheworkloadatuniversityheavierthantheyhadexpected.Thereweredifferencesbetweensubjects,witharchitecture,engineering,veterinaryscience,medicineandsomesciencesubjectsdemandingthemostwork.Thesurveyalsoconfirmedpreviousconcernsaboutpossibleracialbiasinadmissionstomedicalcourses.Applicantswithnamessuggestinganethnicminoritybackgroundhadbeenrejectedbywhitecandidateswiththesamequalifications.