Editor’s note: This article was first published in June 2012. All figures come from a survey published in 2012 of students attending the Unitour university orientation fair run by Círculo Formación, and describe that year’s cohort only.
The figure is overwhelming: 88% of Spanish students in the final year of bachillerato (the last stage of secondary school before university) choose to study languages outside Spain. We accept that languages are necessary for finding a job and that there are many job opportunities abroad, but doesn’t a mass exodus of students point to a poor Spanish education system?
The figure comes from a survey of more than 26,000 young people. Just over half of them plan to study for at least a year abroad, and 25% intend to do so for two years or more. Only about 10% plan to take their university degree in another country.
According to the study, students from Seville are the most adventurous in Spain, at 93%, followed by those from Madrid, Málaga, Valencia and Cádiz. The same students offer other, very mixed figures: for example, 83% of them haven’t decided what to do once they finish school. Does that show they’re too young and immature to decide their future?
Besides that very high figure, 37% are torn between three different degrees, 32% are hesitating between two, and 7% weren’t considering any option. Only 24% said they were clear about what they wanted to be when they grew up. According to the study, the most undecided are students from Madrid (perhaps because the range of courses on offer is wider?), followed by those from Valencia and Valladolid.
This uncertainty in choosing what to study is driven first by vocation, with career prospects coming second. Students from Málaga are the only ones who think about career prospects first, while those from Madrid put vocation first, followed by students from Mallorca, Alicante and Valencia.
One of the key factors in deciding their future is the mark they get in selectividad (Spain’s university entrance exam). Asked what their plan B would be if their mark wasn’t high enough for their dream degree, 40% said they would take the long way round, first doing a vocational training qualification and then going on to study what they originally wanted, while 24% would prepare to resit the entrance exam to improve their mark.
When it comes to the institution where they’ll study, 29% would choose a centre based on the courses it offers, 21% on its prestige and 20% on the work placements it provides.
As for fields of study, health sciences is the most popular choice among those surveyed, followed by social sciences and law, and engineering or architecture. After those come teacher training or education, and finally arts or humanities.
These figures come from a study carried out by Círculo Formación (“Unitour”) during the Salón de Orientación Universitaria, a university orientation fair.
Featured image: Michael Pardo, CC0 1.0, via Flickr.
