Student sentiment directly from our community

Our Student Sentiment updates provide a snapshot of the conversations young people are having on The Student Room. From these updates, you can read students’ own accounts of their thoughts, worries and experiences.

March 2024 sentiment deck

Student opinions on apprenticeships as an alternative pathway after their FE studies
Students want better work experience opportunities in the career support they are given
34% of students had no idea how student finance worked
Revision is top of the agenda for many students this Easter
Two thirds of 2024 UG applicants surveyed favoured halls as their accommodation preference for their first year, with just over a fifth planning to commute from home
The device types most commonly used for researching universities
New TSR Insight summary on insurance choice decision making

Our Insight team have also recently released some exciting new results from our TSR Asks research, with topics including prospective undergraduates’ use of league tables and metrics, prospective postgraduate decision making and the influence of peers on university decision making. You can access these summaries on our Insight Report page.

Student sentiment directly from our community

Our Student Sentiment updates provide a snapshot of the conversations young people are having on The Student Room. From these updates, you can read students’ own accounts of their thoughts, worries and experiences.

March 2024 sentiment deck

February 2024

– Impact of the cost of living crisis – Year 12: the help they need with making uni decisions – Year 12 plans to attend Ucas fairs – Over half of poll respondents still waiting to hear from some of their choices – Who do prospective students trust to provide peer-to-peer support?

October 2023

– More than half of student lack confidence with money management – 25% of students feel current A level structure should change – Almost 75% of students polled are unaware what the TEF rating is – Email is the most commonly preferred method of communication from universities by students

January 2024

Sept 2023

December 2023

– Revision remained the key focus for Year 12& 13 students over Christmas – Almost one in five first year students say they were considering leaving. – 44% of respondents said they were interested in using podcasts to support their learning

August 2023

– 25% of poll respondents were expecting to use Clearing due to missing their required results – 57% of A-Level (and equivalent) students had grades lower than expected – Students voted university league tables as the top decision maker in uni choice

November 2023

– Students’ university accommodation searches

– Where students are at in their application process

– Growing interest in Degree Apprenticeships among Year 12 students

– Student to student experiences and discussions highly valued during the application process

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

– Activity in exam season – Making friends is the biggest concern for students starting uni – How students will support themselves financially at uni – How 2024 entry prospective undergraduate students are planning to use the holidays

April 2023

– Improvements to climate change and cost of living dominate students’ hopes for the future – Cost of living impacts 38% of students’ plans on where to go to university – More than 80% of 2023 applicants had responses from three or more universities in April

March 2023

– Students share thoughts on using ChatGPT for their homework – Year 12 share their extra curricular activities to support uni applications – Top choices for university accommodation – Past papers and mark schemes are the way most students like to revise

February 2023

– The help Y12/13 need in making uni decisions – Understanding of student finance – The support freshers need – Students’ thoughts on physical prospectus’ – Thoughts on UCAS new apprenticeship application service

January 2023

– Perceptions of apprenticeships – Personal statement shake-up – Teacher strikes – The biggest differences in unis that students are choosing – Responses from firm and insurance choices

December 2022

– Student life areas they want to be available from their uni – Thoughts on personal statements– Where students are at with their uni application – Revision over Christmas

November 2022

– Are students clued up on student finance – Are virtual open days still helpful– What support is needed from uni’s ahead of applications being made – Personal statement worries – Year 12 and where they are at in their plans

Want to work with us? We’d love to make it happen.

– Impact of the cost of living crisis
– Year 12: the help they need with making uni decisions
– Year 12 plans to attend Ucas fairs
– Over half of poll respondents still waiting to hear from some of their choices
– Who do prospective students trust to provide peer-to-peer support?

– More than half of student lack confidence with money management
– 25% of students feel current A level structure should change
– Almost 75% of students polled are unaware what the TEF rating is
– Email is the most commonly preferred method of communication from universities by students

– Revision remained the key focus for Year 12& 13 students over Christmas
– Almost one in five first year students say they were considering leaving.
– 44% of respondents said they were interested in using podcasts to support their learning

– 25% of poll respondents were expecting to use Clearing due to missing their required results
– 57% of A-Level (and equivalent) students had grades lower than expected
– Students voted university league tables as the top decision maker in uni choice

– Activity in exam season
– Making friends is the biggest concern for students starting uni
– How students will support themselves financially at uni
– How 2024 entry prospective undergraduate students are planning to use the holidays

– Improvements to climate change and cost of living dominate students’ hopes for the future
– Cost of living impacts 38% of students’ plans on where to go to university
– More than 80% of 2023 applicants had responses from three or more
universities in April

– Students share thoughts on using ChatGPT for their homework
– Year 12 share their extra curricular activities to support uni applications
– Top choices for university accommodation
– Past papers and mark schemes are the way most students like to revise

– The help Y12/13 need in making uni decisions
– Understanding of student finance
– The support freshers need
– Students’ thoughts on physical prospectus’
– Thoughts on UCAS new apprenticeship application service

– Perceptions of apprenticeships
– Personal statement shake-up
– Teacher strikes
– The biggest differences in unis that students are choosing
– Responses from firm and insurance choices

– Student life areas they want to be available from their uni
– Thoughts on personal statements
– Where students are at with their uni application
– Revision over Christmas

– Are students clued up on student finance
– Are virtual open days still helpful
– What support is needed from uni’s ahead of applications being made
– Personal statement worries
– Year 12 and where they are at in their plans

Want to work with us?
We’d love to make it happen.