< BACK TO CONTENTS UNITE STUDENTS | THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE 11 > SOCIAL LIFE Students’ social lives could be circumscribed in a number of ways, including financial means, religious and cultural practices, being a commuter student, and social class relative to peers. Finances were commonly mentioned, especially in relation to societies, which could be expensive. One of the universities offered bursaries to support students to engage with societies and sports, which had made a lot of difference, but not all students knew about this support or how to access it. More widely, some students didn’t feel able to join some societies. Certain sports such as rugby and lacrosse were seen as classed, and even academic societies could feel unwelcoming because of the attitudes of the members and lack of diversity. “[The society] was very homogeneous, the people in it… all had the same ideas.. very similar to each other or just so much different from me that I didn’t really feel comfortable just being around them… their backgrounds were so different, even though they’re studying a course which is, you know, about society and stuff like that. I just found the people there quite ignorant so I didn’t really feel comfortable going.” Alcohol-related events and nights out are difficult for students who don’t drink and for those who commute. This could be a problem when sports or academic societies had a strong drinking culture, meaning that students felt unable to take part. Students also spoke about being pressured to drink by friends, which could cause annoyance, embarrassment and distress. Additionally, transport could be a challenge for all students late at night depending on where they lived. “Sometimes I’ve tried to go to a pub quiz or something but it’s just been uncomfortable and I’ve been like, why am I here? I don’t have to drink when I’m at a pub quiz, but it just feels like that’s the vibe and everyone around me is doing that.” Some students found that the difference in budget between themself and others created a barrier, especially if more affluent friends didn’t fully understand these constraints. “Like recently, sometimes you have to say no to going out because you don’t have the money. Which is a pretty rubbish feeling.” Some of this was linked to financial prudence among the students, which is discussed further below, though it could also be due to hard limits to their budgets which other students did not always understand. “I have to say [to other students] I don’t know if you really get what I’m saying, I can’t spend this money.” INCLUSION AND BELONGING