< BACK TO CONTENTS UNITE STUDENTS | THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE INCLUSION AND BELONGING > For some students, this led to feelings of homesickness which they had not been expecting. One response to this was to travel home more often, but if this became unaffordable or was too difficult because of the distance, this could lead to a high level of distress. “I was just really upset all the time. I was really homesick and I think it was just like a huge culture shock as well, ‘cause my parents never went to university.” Living in a completely different environment could also be a challenge. “I was just completely overwhelmed… so I would only attend my lectures and then go home because I was really anxious about being outside just because of how busy it was.” While this is not necessarily directly linked to socioeconomic background, it may be more of an issue for students who have not had as many opportunities to travel and develop their confidence in different environments. Sometimes, a sense of difference and alienation was triggered as early as the open day: “I did feel welcomed by the students, but I also felt a bit out of place. Because I had never really been to a higher education institution before. And I met people that had, like, PhDs, Masters’ degrees, very educated people.” Generally, the students had overcome these challenges. They had made friends and settled in well. Those who had been given opportunities to meet with students from similar backgrounds found this very helpful in feeling a sense of belonging in the early days and weeks of their time in higher education. Those in student accommodation who happened to get on with their flatmates also had an easier time settling in. Reflecting back on their transition to university life, students talked about the benefits of adapting to a different environment and getting to know people from different backgrounds, leading to development and growth. However, by definition, the students who took part in the research were still in higher education. Students still battling with these issues, and who feel unable to overcome them, may be at greater risk of dropping out. > 5 https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/142367/1/WRAP-negotiating- sense-fit-elite-higher-education-Fernando-2020.pdf 6 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejed.12438 7 https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/bme_students_ participation_in_he_final.pdf 8 https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/88258/-The- Gilded-Circle-of-Privilege----Masters-Thesis--Isaac-Worthington. pdf?sequence=1 8