Finding out about how to be a third-level undergraduate can be hard work, as 147 fifth-year students from the 15 schools involved in DCU's North Dublin Access (NDA) programme recently discovered. The youngsters were participating in DCU's shadowing scheme, which enabled them to live the life of a DCU student for a day. Some students - particularly those interested in lab-based subjects - had an onerous time, with back to back lectures and lab work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other students were a tad more fortunate - they got to spend time in the bar, playing pool, checking out the gym and generally sorting out the social side of college life.
One student was particularly impressed when a first-year undergraduate led him to the library - then admitted that the visit was a first for him, too. A great experience - that's how students from Colaiste Dhulaigh in Coolock describe the day. "It's definitely encouraged me to go to DCU," says 17-year-old Keith McCormick, who spent the day shadowing a business studies student.
By 11.30 a.m., Keith had checked out all the main facilities; after a stint in the canteen, he worked on computers. After lunch, he attended law and maths lectures. "The civil and criminal law was interesting and I found the maths easy enough," he recalls. Phuong Truong, who shadowed a computer-applications student, also found she could cope well with the maths. The computer-programming course was difficult to follow, while the electronics lecture was really good, she says.
The fact that the electronics' lecturer gave out worksheets was a bonus and made the lecture easier to follow. Fellow Colaiste Dhulaigh student Amanda Osborne is equally enthusiastic about her experiences. The law lecture was interesting, the maths class was fine, but the economics tutorial was difficult, she concedes. Amanda particularly enjoyed her introduction to the Internet, thanks to first-year DCU business studies student Karen Furley. The students report their amazement at what goes on in lectures - some students take copious notes, others don't bother at all, while some simply chat to each other. DCU's 127 student volunteers were kept on their toes. First year analytical science student Gerry Meade recalls his embarrassment when his lab experiment went wrong - in front of his shadow. "She was in the labs with me all day, wearing a white coat and glasses. She could have left at 3 p.m., but she was enjoying it so much, she stayed on till 4.30 p.m.," he says.
Having a shadow for a day is all very well, but what if they find it all boring? It's a major concern, admits Furley. "You're very conscious about whether they're having a good time or whether they're bored," she says. "Parts of law, for example, are quite boring. But it's good to know that. When you come straight into college you don't know what to expect."
The Colaiste Dhulaigh students point to one of their number who was mad to do sports science. After a day as a DCU shadow, he realises that the course is full of maths and physics and there's very little sport. James, a DCU science student who was one of the visitors in the shadowing scheme last year, changed his mind about doing computer applications as a result of his experiences. "I felt I wouldn't be up to speed because our access to computers wasn't the best at school and we couldn't get the Internet," he notes.
Early school-leaving and high unemployment rates have long been features of the less affluent areas of north Dublin. In 1991, for example, only 1.2 per cent of the Ballymun population was still in formal education by the age of 20 years.
In the greater Dublin area as a whole, 8.7 per cent of 20 year olds had remained in education. Figures supplied by Ballymun Regeneration Ltd show that less than one-third of young people in Ballymun are expected to attain a Leaving Certificate, compared with 79 per cent nationally. Those students who actually sit the Leaving Cert exam obtain, on average, lower grades than their counterparts elsewhere.
And even in 1998, after the rise of the Celtic Tiger, almost 30 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds in Ballymun were seeking employment, about 10 times the State's average.
DCU launched its NDA programme back in 1996 to increase the third-level participation rates in 15 second-level schools in the Ballymun, Northside and Finglas/ Cabra partnership areas. Other aims of the programme include the provision of supports for students to enable them to complete their courses successfully and the promotion of positive attitudes to education. There are signs that the programme is successful - that, for a growing number of local students, higher education is "cool".
According to Kieran Muldoon, who teaches English at Colaiste Dhulaigh, the school's participation in NDA has been enormously beneficial and is playing a significant role in student motivation. "In the past, we had one or two students going to university every year - if we were lucky," he explains. "This year we have 15 students applying, and DCU have taken in 40 students on to the shadowing scheme."
Educational achievement at the school is on the increase, Muldoon says. "The interest in performing well is spreading and the standards are rising because so many pupils want to participate." DCU's access officer, Maeve O'Byrne, visits the 15 schools involved in the NDA on a regular basis to hold talks with students and their parents. Students also make regular visits to DCU to familiarise themselves with the campus - and to participate in the Easter revision programme.
Student-shadowing apart, the scheme also involves achievement awards, Transition Year projects and, importantly, student tuition. Typically, some 40 DCU undergraduates volunteer to participate in the tuition scheme every semester. The students give one hour classes to groups of two or three pupils in the schools on Wednesday afternoons. "The extra help is important academically," explains Maeve O'Byrne, "but the fact that DCU undergraduates are making contact with the students is also significant.
"They act as role models and get the youngsters thinking about third level." The NDA's direct-entry policy targets students from the participating schools and allows them admission to college on the minimum entry requirements. Up to 50 DCU places are available under this initiative. Already, up to 80 students have taken up direct-entry places.
"The scheme is not about giving places to students with lesser ability," O'Byrne stresses. "It's about levelling the playing field and allowing students with potential, motivation and ability to have a fair chance at getting into third level and succeeding there." Not all students coming into DCU on the NDA scheme enter with lower points, but many do. How do they fare in classes with high-points students? "It really doesn't make any difference," notes first-year student Jean. "We have to have enough points to meet the basic entry requirements, and as long as you do the work you're fine."
A major feature of the DCU scheme is the undergraduate support offered to its participants, including top-up scholarships of £1,000 per annum and extra academic supports in the early stages.
Recently, the government has taken the lead from the DCU initiative and has promised extra funding for students from families dependent on social welfare. While this is welcome, many educators believe it is inadequate. "It still leaves many low-income families in the trap," O'Byrne says.
Students who come into DCU on the NDA programme are among the lucky ones - they don't have to take part-time jobs to make ends meet. "Part-time work is a huge issue," O'Byrne notes. "If you do too much, it does affect your education."
All students coming into DCU on the direct-entry programme participate in a three-week summer school on the college campus. "The summer school bridges the gap between second and third levels," she says. "It allows students to get their bearings before they start their programmes."
Core study skills, computer and library skills, sports, maths, problem solving and a number of optional specialist subjects are among the activities on offer.
