‘Slingshot’ to give secondary students a taste of third level

Too many students drop out of third-level education because they do not fully understand the course or institution they have applied to, according to the founder of an initiative which aims to tackle the problem.

Patrick Guiney, a UCD graduate, set up the Student Slingshot Academy in 2014 in an attempt to educate second level students about college and the various course options available.

“One in six people drop out of college,” he said. “The National Teaching and Learning Fourm released a research paper a few weeks ago and cited not knowing your course and your institution as the single biggest factors for dropping out.