Students are not as doomed as the public believes.

Recent Maclean’s and CTV articles followed up on a Statistics Canada study titled “Youth in Transition Survey” and have proposed first-year students may be less prepared for their undergraduate academic experience than they were in the past. The topic has aroused some discussion and criticism of students, high schools and the post-secondary education system.

But investigation into the issue has found undergraduates — at least, at Western — don’t see it this way.

“The survey was wide in terms of findings,” Danielle Shaienks, senior analyst at Statistics Canada, said of the study.

One section of the report, titled “Measuring the Effectiveness of Student Assistance”, found that despite an increase in university enrollment and an increase in needs-based student aid granted since 2001, graduation rates have not changed.

Another part of the report followed students over a five-year period and collected soft information on the factors which may have influenced students to drop out.

“What we had in that four-cycle report was a few questions about their activeness and sense of belonging in the first-year education,” Shaienks explained. “We found their feelings in their first year were telling of their drop out [likelihood] in the future.”

According to Shaienks, those who ended up dropping out were missing more deadlines and already feeling like they were in the wrong programs in their first year.

But she noted the information the survey collected does not conclusively determine whether there is a growing trend of un-preparedness among first-year students because the study is the first formal one of its kind.

“We don’t have any surveys from 10 years ago to [compare to],” Shaienks said.

Donna Moore, manager and academic student advisor at the Centre for New Students, has not noticed this trend at Western.

“The students that we’re seeing are prepared from high school, and they are high-achieving and want to be successful,” she said. “I find students are very civically engaged, want to be well rounded and seek out a variety of opportunities to be well rounded.”

The Centre for New Students is also available with programs for students seeking help. “Certainly first year is a time for reviewing their plans, and sometimes changing their plans, but there’s lots of assistance available,” Moore affirmed.

“There’s so many ways that students are supported here at Western,” Moore affirmed. “When we meet students in the summer before they come in, [we] make sure they are aware of the wide variety of support they have.”

She pointed out students in residence also have watchful dons and residence advisors who they can approach.

According to Moore, the CNS also boasts an award-winning leadership and mentorship program in which about 1,800 first-year students are enrolled.

John Thorp, acting chair and professor at the department of philosophy at Western, teaches one of the university’s large first-year classes and has not noticed a big difference either.

“There’s still some really strong students and some who have to struggle [but] it happens all the time for all kinds of reasons,” he said.

He maintained large classes have been a constant feature of first year courses over his teaching career, and if anything, have gotten smaller.

“One of the things that’s worth bearing in mind when you think about these numbers is thinking about Canada in the world,” he reminded. “North America is in the business of educating twice the proportion of education at the post-secondary level compared to our competitors in Europe… and we’re largely a knowledge economy [so] our economic well-being really relies upon a well-educated population.”

Thorp noted the faculty remains conscious of possible lags due to large classes and tries to be really attentive to students.

In a large class like Philosophy 1020, he said the department is active in setting things like teaching assistants in place to keep close to the students and maintain a humane approach to their needs.

But in the end, perhaps feeling unprepared is a natural worry for some first-years.

The Gazette asked 90 random upper-year students whether they felt they were prepared academically for their university transition in first year.

Overall, approximately 20 of the students said they were unprepared in first year. But these students are still studying at Western today.

“First year is a learning experience; I learned how to be a student and in second year I was fine,” said Zoltan Kiss, a second-year student at Western.

“I found that when I [fell behind], the best thing to do was see profs in office hours,” added Andrew Healey, a fourth-year media, information and technoculture student.

Moore believes although its findings may not be as worrisome as some media suggests, the report will be very useful in helping CNS to understand some of the issues students are facing now.

Thorp also recognized students did have various stresses and priorities.

“One of the things I say to first-year students is I know that social life can be a distraction — but you should mix them. Find friends who you can socialize with but still have an intellectual conversation with,” he advised, recalling his own university experience.

— With files from Abid-Aziz Ladhani