Modern students still crave interaction, but have arrived at uni at a time when that is much harder to achieve. A challenging job market, online learning options, more intense courses, high cost of living and huge student populations have created an environment in which they are more likely to feel isolated than connected.
A longer commute to campus is another disincentive to spending time there. Suburbs around Sydney's top universities - such as Chippendale, Newtown, and Coogee - have become gentrified, and self-funded students can no longer find an affordable, rundown terrace within walking distance. "He'd apply for graduate programs, and would get some interviews but not all of them," said Dr Spence. "There were lots he didn't get. You'd say, 'what do you need to do to get a job these days?' He said, 'every kid at uni has their own online business, everyone has founded a charity'. That's part of the reason people are being much more purposeful.
Recent focus groups with 700 students found many reported both social isolation and an unfulfilled desire to meet people at university who are different to them. "Learning how to disagree with [others], how to navigate difference, that's not happening as much on Australian university campuses as we think it should be," says Spence.