The difference between taking notes in a class of 500 students and learning in a class of 25
The uncapping of
undergraduate places at Australian public universities has resulted in a 25%
increase in student numbers between 2009 and 2015. At the same time, government
funding on a per student basis has declined at a similar percentage and will
continue to do so.
While the mass
increase in higher education is good news for the Australian economy and our
overall quality of life, it doesn’t necessarily bode well for individual
students.
In real terms, it
translates to university campuses accommodating more than 50,000 students, all
trying to access the same facilities and resources. Lecture halls are filled to
overflowing with several hundred students attending at the same time – some
spilling over into nearby rooms to watch it on video or staying at home to
catch-up online.
If you need a
particular library book, you’ll have to put your name on a waiting list. And if
you want to access those whiz-bang laboratories, you’ll probably need to take a
number.
Extended class sizes
also mean that large universities are forced to adopt a one-size-fits-all
approach that doesn’t cater for different learning styles or individual goals.
And it results in more graduates entering the workplace, all on the hunt for
the best jobs.
According to a Fairfax media report on the
Federal Government’s recently released 2015 Student Experiences Survey, the
most satisfied students were not enrolled at the big, prestigious universities.
“Rather, they were enrolled at Bond University and the University of Notre Dame
– both private universities – and the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC).
”
What these three
institutions have in common are low student numbers:
6,062 for Bond University
10,960 for
Notre Dame in WA
10,756 for USC.
Compare these figures to the three
largest universities:
Monash – 64,479
RMIT – 57,433
University of
Sydney – 54,306.
At smaller
universities like Bond, the process of study is flexible, personalised and
designed to cater for the individual.
You can tailor your
degree to suit your career ambitions by focusing on majors or selecting
electives from other Faculties.
In classes of less
than 25 students, your professors will know you, not just by name, but by your
interest, strengths and career aspirations. They can adjust their teaching to
suit your learning style – whether that be by oral presentations, written
texts, online learning or hands-on activities.
They will know if
you’re having problems and will take time to help. They can arrange
internships, clinical placements and work experience opportunities through
their industry contacts and organise employer introductions as graduation
nears.
At our boutique style
campus, world-class facilities like the electronic moot courts in the Legal
Skills Centre and the 3D printers in the Abedian School of Architecture are
available to all students in class, not just the chosen few. The main and law
libraries are open seven days a week until late at night, and you’ll have
access to the Multimedia Learning Centre computers 24/7.
Rather than turning up
to a lecture or tutorial and then going home, our students choose to stay on
campus – to study, play sport, work out at the gym, take a yoga class, go for a
swim or join one of more than 70 special interest clubs and societies. By the
end of the first semester, you’ll know almost everyone in your year level and
by the time you start your second year, you’ll know almost everyone on campus.
If this doesn’t sound
anything like your current university experience, maybe it’s time to think
outside the square and look at other options.
Bond operates a three-semesters-per-year
schedule so you can switch universities and start in May. The bonus is you may even finish your degree up to a year earlier than you’re current program!