Almost one in three students consider themselves to be dropping out

Out of the nearly 600 students surveyed, all enrolled for the first time at Saint-Louis University in 2019-2020, the most likely to express their feeling of dropping out are those who did not go to second year. They are indeed 36.6% to do so, against 29% of students who went to the upper block.

On the other hand, it is the students who have been admitted in the second year who are the most inclined to express their discouragement: 61.8%, against 46.4% of those who stayed in the first year or who have reoriented themselves.

Although a majority of students shared the impression that they had a lot of time for their studies, 85% of them encountered psychological difficulties between the end of October and mid-December. They were still “only” 79% in this case in June. Almost half believe that these obstacles have severely hampered their journey.

The majority of students surveyed found the second distance learning experience more difficult compared to the previous academic year. A finding linked to a feeling of aggravated isolation: it concerned 63.5% of respondents at the end of 2020, against 51.4% six months earlier.

However, the students seem to have been able to capitalize on their experience, note the authors of the study. They were indeed less likely to admit to having been disorganized (39.8%, against 47.9% in June), but also more inclined to enjoy working their lessons independently. They had to review their methods less often (52.7% in June 2020, compared to 43.1% today). Almost half, or 46.4%, felt they were more productive, compared to 40.9% when they first experienced distance education.