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The first semester of university life; ‘will I be able to manage it at all?’

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Abstract

This paper reports on an Irish study examining first year students’ recollections of their concerns, motivations, level of preparedness and perceived skills on entry to university. The study aims to investigate and understand the implications of the attitudes of first year students as they make the transition to university. It also explores students’ behaviour during their initial weeks at university. It is important to understand the anxieties of new students, their views on their abilities and their confidence in managing their new role as these factors will have consequences for their experience as first year university students. These findings are explored with a view to enhancing the quality of support for students during this key transition.

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Acknowledgments

This project was undertaken by four UCD Fellows in Teaching and Academic Development (2007–2009) funded through the Government of Ireland Strategic Innovation Fund I. Thanks to Elizabeth Noonan and Bairbre Redmond for their support and advice, to Christine O’Farrelly who assisted with data coding and analysis and to the students who participated in our survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture, Landscape & Civil Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Amanda Gibney

  2. School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Niamh Moore

  3. School of Irish, Celtic Studies, Irish Folklore and Linguistics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Feargal Murphy

  4. School of Sociology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Sara O’Sullivan

Authors
  1. Amanda Gibney
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  2. Niamh Moore
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  3. Feargal Murphy
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  4. Sara O’Sullivan
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Correspondence to Sara O’Sullivan.

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Gibney, A., Moore, N., Murphy, F. et al. The first semester of university life; ‘will I be able to manage it at all?’. High Educ 62, 351–366 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9392-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9392-9

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