UNITE STUDENTS | MEETING THE NEEDS OF NEURODIVERGENT STUDENTS FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS BACK TO CONTENTS 10 Students talked about a mix of excitement and anxiety when preparing to go to university for the first time. I definitely found it both exciting and... nerve wracking, that’s the word I’m looking for. The whole meeting new people thing. I was excited to get a chance to start life in a completely different way and meet loads of new people but it’s also terrifying at the same time. This aligns with previous findings from Unite Students and HEPI that the majority of prospective students experience a mix of both emotions. However, for neurodivergent students there were some specific considerations. There were concerns about the social side, including the potential loss of hard-won friendships due to the move to university. The last few years it was difficult, but I did get a few close friends and I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m losing them. What do I do? What do I do?’ However, for some it was an opportunity for a fresh start and hope for a better experience. It was nice to start again. For me, the year before I’d just been diagnosed. It was nice to start afresh being the true self you are because before obvious with masking and everything you’re not being yourself... coming to university was that excitement of trying to meet your people. Students also mentioned excitement about their academic course and the opportunity to pursue a strong interest. Some students found it challenging to process all the information they were sent by their university due to their neurodivergence, causing them to struggle in the first few weeks. When I was moving to uni, there were so many emails coming out... and it turned out when I got here, I had missed some really important things like registering as a student... There was a ton of stuff I just hadn’t seen. They would have preferred a summary checklist of the key administrative tasks involved in starting university. GOING TO UNIVERSITY