Many universities have picked up on multiple problems students face during their time studying to complete their degree. A major issue for many university students was the transition from Highschool to University as it would have been considered a big leap to independence and responsibility. Millennials often struggle to understand and keep up with the way their life has changed since graduation. High school gave me the opportunity to easily make friends, keep up with the same schedule, and have everything done for them if they were to put in the right amount of effort and work, and with very few students having the need to repeat a year. Unless the student has transferred to multiple schools, they would have already been familiar with their classmates and teachers for many years and there was a lot of guidance given. However, University pushes them to become more independent and responsible for their actions. This has shown to be an issue that all students will come to face when transitioning from Highschool to University, as they have yet been accustomed to the new change in their life.
There were multiple factors that students faced when transitioning from Highschool to University such as financial issues, different environments, academic challenges, increasing personal responsibility, time management, and motivation. After interviewing multiple university students and conducting a survey, there was a common thought that their motivation when transitioning from Highschool to University has greatly impacted or changed the way they live. The majority considered it to be hard and challenging, while there were a few who disagree. The transition between Highschool and University is noted to be one of the major proportions as it is a fundamental change in almost all student’s life (Mendaglio, San 2012). As stated by one of the students “So far, I have been managing myself well. It’s more so trying to motivate myself to keep myself on track and setting my priorities straight.” This shows the positiveness of a student’s motivation in wanting to do well as they try to manage themselves well. Time management and motivation link together as motivation could only be done if there was proper management throughout their day as displayed in an answer “Having to manage my time between part-time work and university. And also because uni classes are never during the same time like how high school is 9-3 with X number of periods of the day, I have to self-manage myself rather than the school system.” The transition is critical, as it drives them to properly understand the content given during lectures. This is a major issue during many transitions as it causes a large amount of stress which would heavily impact the way they view University life negatively as well as their grades. Many students interviewed and surveyed both work part-time and study full-time, in which pointing out that handling both at the same time could deplete their motivation as they are unable to find the right balance once becoming independent. With the majority agreeing to be working around the university, they place their studies and grades as the top priority in their life, however, this isn’t shown in their motivation as they find it challenging due to other responsibilities once being independent. “I did kind of struggle from the transition mainly because everything was self-learning and not really enforced like it was in schools and it is basically easier structure in a way. But it was just me not being more independent as you should be.” This elaborates further on the problem that the transition from Highschool to University would be more strenuous as there is no longer support given to University students compared to Highschool students. Preparation for independence was not properly shown to students, thus causing them to struggle slightly during their transition. Additionally, students are more considered as individuals accountable for their own tasks and actions taken throughout their University life. As shown in the survey conducted by university students, the vast majority that have been struggling with the transition have a tougher time getting used to the workload, and as mentioned by many ‘University has more work which was much more time-consuming’ which further unfolds that the workload could be a factor to why the transition was more challenging, It is safe to say that depending on the student themselves, each holds a different responsibility as well as how they maintain themselves on a day to day basis.
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Many students interviewed and surveyed had very similar responses, however, there were a few that disagree that Motivation was an issue for them. This could be due to how University and Highschool would be perceived as very similar to one another, as mentioned by one of the interviewees ‘The transition was easy. It was basically high school with more work and better choices.’ Depending on how the student held themselves during high school, the skill they used brought over to their university life positively impacted the way they transitioned. As high-school students, they were stuck to a certain routine throughout the day from a very young age, however after graduation, they were given more freedom in choosing how their day would be. Another factor as to why there could be differences is due to their upbringing or the way they have lived to have prepared themselves for the transition, thus not impacting their motivation. As mentioned by one student during an interview ‘I have been working and studying for most of my life. University just gives you more time to work around so my motivation level was the same as high school’s, this shows contrast to the students who struggle with their lack of motivation during their transition. This student found a certain pattern in learning and managing that they did not find their transition too challenging despite being in a new environment. Having the former experience during Highschool brought over to University benefitted them in a successful transition, in comparison to those who don’t have those experiences. However, there are those students who have had similar experiences and as mentioned ‘When you first start, there is that motivation as you’re excited about a new beginning, however, it dies over time as you know you can’t stay consistent’. This student in particular began with motivation and finding the transition to be easy when starting off, due to the support given, however, as everything begins to settle in different matters weigh in which lose their motivation making their transition harder than when it first started. The comparison between the two students varies depending on their personalities as well as how determined they are in keeping consistent.
A student’s motivation when transitioning to University is a major issue as it could heavily impact not only their academic abilities but including their own lives. Motivation can be defined as “a student’s willingness, need, desire, and compulsion to participate in, and be successful in, the learning process” (Bomia, Beluzo, Demeester, Elander, Johnson & Sheldon, 1997, p. 1). Motivated students that take the time to learn and properly concentrate on their studies show their interest in the degree which would benefit and achieve their own personal and scholarly goals. This would help them in getting closer to the completion of their degree compared to them being at a less motivated pace which would slow their progress.
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