"very high, extraordinarily inefficient, drop-out rates of first year university students, which can be as high as 40%."

Could it be that the majority of drop-outs are just not intellectually capable of doing a university course and would be much better off doing a TAFE course and learning a trade. The trouble there is that the students of today are ill prepared for that stream as well, since the removal of technical schools from the secondary education system gives them no "hands on" experience at a younger age.

David

In days long gone by, Children stayed on much longer in the parents home than now. In fact, some young couples remained in the parental home in the first several years of marriage, with none of the adverse effects claimed for young people today.
However, the difference might be, that the young of yesteryear pulled their weight, while today's young generation have never ever done it tough or even a real day's sweat and gust-bust work.
Moreover, the young adults of yesteryear, were prohibited from pubs, until they and their still developing brains were more mature. Binge drinking was unheard of except in alcoholics.
They spent more time in textbooks and or enjoying the great outdoors. Consequently, they more often than not had adequate vitamin D levels.
In yesteryear staying off the grass and ecstasy had entirely different connotations.
Moreover, long term studies are just beginning to link some of these often overused so-called social substances with some mental health issues or outcomes? And, completely overlooked by the Author; and or, the selectively chosen referred to studies?
Many/most of the uni drop-outs can also be linked to lower socio-economic outcomes and the almost endless anxiety that then generates; than mental agility or illness; and the observation seems weighted towards the older privilege based bias, rather than factual outcomes?
If it were just a case of mental agility, many more of the privileged elite might be the ones preparing to learn a trade!
It is good that a incredibly few of our younger citizens are taking a year out to volunteer their services for the less well off; and, are invariably changed by the experience and invariably return as vastly more worthwhile, much more caring, sharing and concerned citizens.
Shame they are so pityingly few; and or, reserve their philanthropic endeavours for offshore recipients, when many of our own indigenous communities still live in third world conditions! Rhrosty.

As a footnote, one adds that other older studies indicate that population pressures add to crime rates and or, mental health issues.
It seems that as cities grow beyond a base population of around 30,000 persons, so also does crime and mental health issues, which grow exponentially with the population growth.
Moreover, today's young uni students need to learn three times as much as their Professors? Which in combination with other factors, can only ever add to the pressure and anxiety they're under? Rhrosty.

What do you expect when education is now seen as a revenue raising exercise. Young people are being brainwashed into attending university at great cost through hex fees, when previously it was free (after all it was our parents hard work and tax which paid for this).
Foreign students are incouraged which forces up rent/house prices for Australians which is then taken from owners and landlords in stamp duty, interest payments and land tax. Foreign students usually have part time jobs and are required to pay compulsory superannuation which they forfeit upon returning home. Its quite an neat system when you are standing on top of it, not so for the many being crushed by its weight.

'...fewer skills learned from taking risks...,

Any sort of risk taking is utterly frowned upon and discouraged by our overly safe and secure focused society today.

And it is overly represented and emhasised within that portion of our society that is uni educated and focused.

It is also dominated by the elite feminist legions.

Some interesting points of view.
These days it is widely publicised that many Gen X and Y-ers stay in the family home well into their 30's. It's a great perspective to hear that it may have been happening long before they came about!

Sebastian61
www.infernosolar.com.au