As the start of another academic year rolls around, thousands of prospective students will be taking their first steps into the daunting world of higher education.
There is no shortage of literature on the importance of the initial transition into university, and a great deal of attention has been paid to the concept of ‘belonging’ in recent years. Numerous studies have evidenced the link between students’ sense of belonging and student retention and outcomes, and two recent Wonkhe articles from Gail Capper and Debbie McVitty and Anna Jackson and Sunday Blake have explored the component parts of belonging a little further.
There is also the idea that for students to develop a sense of belonging, they must do more than simply adapt to their new unfamiliar environment. As Jim Dickinson argues, they also “need to become something new themselves – a student in higher education” – perhaps a sentiment shared by the University of Winchester, which has launched the place to become campaign.
