The university courses where students make friends – and the ones where they don't
'When you're in class, people are there just to learn,' she said. 'We have such short terms as well, they only last 10 weeks … so we don't get that much time to form long-term connections.'
Half of undergraduates in some degrees report struggling with social connection, according to a Herald analysis of data from the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2023 survey.
Students say the convenience of course content being available online has come at the cost of connecting with their peers.
Fixed-cohort programs such as medicine and pharmacy, where students move through classes together, had the highest scores for social connection.
Degrees in teaching, arts and humanities scored poorly, as did, unsurprisingly, institutions with large online course offerings.
University of Notre Dame education expert Emeritus Professor David Geelan said, in previous decades, most students could survive on study support payments without a need to work, so would therefore spend more time on campus.
'You would spend social time with your peers in your class after, and outside in between classes, whereas now it really is, drive into campus, attend class, go back to work,' he said.
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