< BACK TO CONTENTS UNITE STUDENTS | THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE 10 > because of their socioeconomic background or other characteristics. This could make it more difficult to express themselves naturally, and prompted feelings of “but that’s not who I am”. Students who had the opportunity to meet people from similar backgrounds, including through pre-sessional or foundation programmes and widening access schemes, found that this helped them to feel more comfortable and to make like- minded friends. Despite all these challenges, students had pride in their achievements and a strong determination to make the most of their time at university and to pursue their ambitions. “My background has taught me that it’s a very big accomplishment that I’ve made it to medical school… I have to make use of all the opportunities that I am presented with. So if there is something that I think, this might be a bit hard to do, I still feel like I should do it because I feel if I am this position I should make the most of it.” NOT KNOWING VITAL INFORMATION Students frequently talked about areas of university life that confused them, or that they had not known about in advance. This could make them feel at a disadvantage and in some cases affected their academic confidence. “I just feel like I don’t belong at times… I feel like the expectations of me are too high.” Areas that were mentioned as previous, or even current, gaps in knowledge included: • What freshers’ week is • How to get support and help • How their course is structured, including timetabling and assessments • Skills such as reading academic papers, academic writing and especially referencing • How to use online academic resources • How to book time with academic advisors / personal tutors and what could be discussed with them • What is provided in in university accommodation and what to expect on arrival • How to organise second year accommodation • What societies are, how they work and what to expect from them This could significantly affect their first months at university which put them at a disadvantage or caused them to miss out. “I’ve not gone to any society meetings, honestly I didn’t really know how they worked” Students had not had the opportunity to learn about these aspects of university life from their school or from family. They either had not been told about these things or didn’t know where to access the information. In some cases they were not aware that there was anything to know until much later. > INCLUSION AND BELONGING