12 UNITE STUDENTS | APPLICANT INDEX SURVEY | 2022 THEMATIC ANALYSIS BACK T O T H EMES *For this question, agreement indicates a negative response; the score for this question was reversed when calculating the index score. Most applicants are willing to take on short-term discomfort for long-term gain, and they tend to meet their deadlines. Both are important skills for success at university and may reflect their achievements to date in applying for, and working towards qualifying for, university. However, a third (33%) agree that if they do badly at something they don’t like to try again. Persistence is also a key skill for learning, especially at higher level. Students over the age of 21, LGB+ students and privately educated students were more likely to agree with this statement, as were care experienced students and students with disabilities. Developing students’ confidence to fail, and to learn from that failure, has the potential to be a useful intervention, both at a cohort level and targeted at vulnerable subgroups. RESILIENCE 65 The Resilience score measures the ability of this coming year’s students to plan towards goals and to bounce back after a setback. I have a clear idea of my goals I always meet deadlines *If I do badly at something, I don’t like to try again ■ Strong disagreement ■ Moderate disagreement ■ Neutral ■ Moderate agreement ■ Strong agreement I am willling to take on short term discomfort for long term gain 0 100 80 50 20 90 60 30 70 40 10 Figure 8 : Breakdown of responses to resilience theme questions