Student perspectives on temporary and permanent exit from university: a case study from Monash University

Abstract

This study examines student perspectives on their deferral and withdrawal from arts courses at Monash University during 2000. The research highlights a commonly unacknowledged difference between students in first semester and in second semester: it suggests that temporary and even permanent withdrawal in the early part of the academic year is most often a positive and hopeful strategy on the part of students who regard their problems as largely financial and external, rather than institutional, while students who stay into second semester, and attempt to battle on in the midst of significant distractions, often become more disillusioned with the course, the institution, and university study. The results have potentially significant implications for academic and administrative staff at universities, especially in terms of the need to support students' exit decisions and the importance of focusing on those problems—often related to student poverty and overcommitment to part‐time work—that pull students away from their courses.

Notes

* Correspondence: Mark Peel, School of Historical Studies, Box 11A, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; email: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Peel *

* Correspondence: Mark Peel, School of Historical Studies, Box 11A, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; email: [email protected]