Second-year students at UCD are the subject of a comprehensive study into their problems, reports Harry Browne

Most second-year students at UCD are pleased with college life, and only about half are working part-time to support themselves while they study, according to a newly published survey.

However, more than two-thirds of students said they had occasional or ongoing financial problems. High-achieving students were less likely to cite financial difficulties.

The findings of the study, by Ursula Bates, are based on the responses of1,498 students. More than half the second-years from most college faculties responded, though only 30 per cent of arts students did so. The survey was carried out in-house during lectures, which means - as Bates acknowledges - that the most disaffected (and/or sleepyheaded) students may not be represented.

More than 70 per cent of students said they were struggling with study skills and exam stress. More than half expressed worries about subject choice. However, a parallel survey of academic staff suggested that they were unaware of the level of student concern in this area.

Nearly 30 per cent of students cited availability of public transport as a continuous difficulty.

More than 12 per cent of students surveyed said they had significant levels of personal problems, including 5 per cent who cited serious problems with drugs and drink. However, only 2.1 per cent said they had seen the college counselling service. Students said they were looking for more information on all services and faster access to the medical and counselling service.

The survey provided open questions that gave students a chance to comment on their situations. One 19-year-old male student wrote, comprehensively: "It takes two hours to travel into UCD each morning so I am usually late, then I feel ashamed to go to classes always late, so I miss a lot of work which causes me depression and a lot of stress about course work."

Other students wrote about the unexpectedly large gap between school and third-level expectations and stresses. "Drink and the social pressure of fitting in control your life," an 18-year-old man said.

The surveyed students were studying less than might be expected: about 30 per cent, including more than half of agriculture, commerce and engineering students, said they were studying independently for five hours or fewer every week. Only 23.6 per cent of commerce students said they did any reading beyond their prescribed texts.

Contact with faculty is also low. About half said they had "never" sought out lecturers in their offices, and more than 40 per cent had "never" asked a tutor or lecturer for information on a course. Much higher numbers had never socialised or discussed their careers with faculty or senior students. Most students said they would welcome more contact; more high-achieving students tended to have more contact.

The study was commissioned by UCD's registrar, Dr Caroline Hussey, in 1999 and carried out in February 2000. Second-year students were selected because they were deemed to have sufficient experience about which to comment, but also fresh memories of first-year difficulties.