Going to university tends to be one of the proudest achievements in a young person’s life. In recent years, however, there has been an overt pressure to go to university as the most desirable path into one’s adult life.
Research from the University of Newcastle highlights the implications of this on the mental health of young people in Australia.
Societal pressure
The young people spoken to by the researchers highlighted how they were told that university was the only viable pathway after school. This was frustrating for many students who dreamed of following another path in life. Indeed, some reported that they were dissuaded from their chosen path by teachers and career advisors.
Young people mostly said that the career advice they got in school was not useful, felt distant, and pushed them toward going to college.
The focus of career guidance was mostly on getting a high ATAR (university entrance rank). One student talked about how her career advisor spent “more time trying to calculate my ATAR than giving real advice.”
Other ways to get into university were not talked about openly or fully understood. These paths were often seen as less important compared to getting the best ATAR possible.
Stressed out
So, lots of young people felt really stressed and mentally not great in their last years of high school and the start of university. Some even said they felt like they were “losing it” or getting “burnt out.”
For some young folks, the push to go to university makes their stress and mental health worse. It makes sense, considering the time when you become an adult is when mental issues often start.
The researchers say we need to quickly fix the not-so-helpful career education in schools and the narrow idea of success tied to Year 12 exams and the ATAR in both schools and society. This means:
- Giving schools and career advisers better training and resources.
- Making vocational education and careers more important.
- Seeing alternative ways to get into university, like special programs, as valuable.
To tackle the issues of the next century, we should talk more openly about not just university but all kinds of higher education and the different paths you can take in education and careers.
