“You’ve already, kind of, got the wheels moving a little bit”; students’ value of pre-arrival support in transitioning into higher education

An online pre-arrival resource was developed for level 4 sport and exercise science students. We sought to understand their experiences of the resource in facilitating transition into HE. Data from four focus groups were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis.  

The pre-arrival resource created a sense of preparedness amongst students, but failed to recognise the individual journey of the transitioning student. Results highlight the need to acknowledge that transition extends beyond a single event, and should encompass varying ‘touch points’, particularly focusing attention on re-transition after periods of time away from HE (e.g., between teaching semesters).