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4041Other key concerns include finding a job after graduation, which worries 56% of students, far more than the 46% who were worried in 2010. This may be indicative of a realisation among undergraduates that the economic stagnation is unlikely to pass any time soon. The students least likely to worry about future employment were those studying health-related subjects (34% were worried), while mathematicians, scientists and engineers were also less likely to be worried than others. Day to day financial concerns affected around half of all students (47%), the same as in the last survey, but were particularly severe for those in modern universities (of whom 55% were affected) and those who work during term-time (56%).Another fear that affected the same proportion of students as in 2010 was that of feeling isolated, an issue reported by over a third of participants in the survey (35%). While the prevalence of this concern had not changed since 2010, it remains significantly higher than the 10% of students who worried about isolation in 2004. Students with less work-intensive courses were particularly likely to worry about loneliness, with 38% of those who had 10 or fewer hours of lectures per week affected, compared to 30% of those with over 20 hours. In terms of disciplines, students doing social science and arts and humanities degrees were hardest hit (45% and 42% were respectively), while those doing medicine and allied subjects were least likely to feel isolated (26% said they were). Perhaps surprisingly given the profile it gets in the national media, student debt was relatively low on most undergraduates' list of concerns, with just 31% saying they worried about it, down from 37% in 2010 and 42% in 2008. Again, this could indicate that today's students are relieved that they have escaped the £9,000 fee cap coming into force in the next academic year or the growing acceptance of debt.Finally, as in the last survey, there was a small minority of completely care-free students: 2% of those questioned said they had no concerns at all.And what is your biggest concern?For over a quarter of students the number one concern is achieving their desired degree classification, with 27% listing this as their main worry. This is even more than in the last survey, when 24% said it was their primary concern. For almost as many (22%) balancing academic, social and work commitments was the worst preoccupation, up from 20% in 2010, while day to day financial worries were at the top of 14% of students' minds, a fall of one percentage point on two years ago. Other fears were less pressing, with just 7% of students listing loneliness as their main concern, and even fewer (3%) citing the amount of debt they were incurring. For international students the focus on academic grades was even greater, with 39% of those from outside Europe listing it as their main concern. This may reflect the large investment such students and their families make in their education in the UK.35% of students worry about feeling isolated 4041ServicesIf you live in student halls, what should be provided in your room?If students' main priority was once somewhere to wash their clothes or brush their teeth, those days have passed, with wireless internet access now the most important factor by some distance. Over three quarters of students (77%) listed WiFi access as essential for their room in private or university-run halls, with women marginally more likely to want it than men (78% versus 75%). WiFi was particular important for law students, nine out of 10 of whom (89%) thought it should be provided, while medics were less insistent on this point (68% said it should).Second in the students' list of priorities was access to a launderette, which was judged to be important by two thirds (66%), closely followed by a shared space for socialising, which 65% thought should be made available.However, other amenities were viewed as essential by less than half of the sample questioned, including ensuite bathrooms (which 45% wanted), cleaning services (which 39% thought should be provided) and a gym (which a quarter of students required). More luxurious fittings were seen by most as non-essential, with just over one in 10 students (12%) saying that flat screen televisions should be fitted in their rooms. One interesting trend is that the facilities expected by international students differ from those required by UK nationals: for example, 37% of students from outside Europe thought a gym should be provided compared to 24% of those from the UK, whereas only 35% of rest-of-world students wanted shared social space, compared to 70% of domestic students.WiFi accessLaunderetteShared social spaceEnsuite bathroomCleaning Gym77%25%66%65%45%39%Services most wanted in accommodation |