Social media platforms were used by every participant in the weeks leading up to the physical transition to university to gain more information about the university and town/city. Several participants had asked questions to the official Facebook pages/ Twitter accounts of the universities. Students who had approached the university using via a social media platform were appreciative that they had an easy line of communication to their institution:
“I just had a few general questions about the campus and a sabbatical officer answered them pretty much straight away. It‟s good because you don‟t actually really know a lot about uni before you come and in the weeks leading up you do have a lot of questions so it‟s helpful that they can be answered” (Dean)
One student noted that there appeared to be some contention between unofficial and official ‗freshers‘ groups which were created:
“I joined a Facebook group that was closed down because the university deemed it unofficial. The uni created their own one and I just remember thinking if they‟d had the gumption to do that in the first place then it would have just made it easier wouldn‟t it” (Jessie)
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The majority of participants had also undertaken general internet searches or used Facebook in order to find out more about nightlife both in the student union bars and the town/city of the university:
“I think social life is a big part of it. I mean you pick your uni based on what course you want to do and where you sort of feel most at home when you visit but after that I wanted to know that I was gonna have a few good nights out at least *laughs*” (David)
“It‟s part of the experience isn‟t it. I think it‟s the time in your life where you can let your hair down and do daft stuff and it‟s not important if you mess up” (Sarah)
As previous research has demonstrated, success in managing the social spheres of university life has great important and great influence over whether students experience a successful transition. The students of this study were aware that they would be unhappy at university if they failed to make friends:
“I don‟t think you‟d survive at uni without any friends „cos it would be quite isolating I think” (Erika)
While the successful creation and maintenance of support networks is essential for successful student transitions into higher education, several authors have discussed that student retention is also dependent on students being able to successfully manage the academic sphere of university life in addition to the social. Most of the participants in this study stated that they had limited knowledge of what their degree course would entail prior to starting their course. In comparison to their interest in developing their knowledge on the social aspects of university life, there was the sense that students were less interested in developing their knowledge on their degree course:
“I wasn‟t really too bothered about knowing that much about my degree. I mean I looked at the course pages online but that‟s about it. I was more interested in the social side of things „cos that‟s what you come to uni for as well” (Jack)
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“I just figured we‟d find out about our options and that when we got here so it didn‟t really occur to me to try and find any information before I came. I was just interested in having a good summer before I left home” (Greg)
However, several participants stated that they had ‗liked‘ their School/Department of Facebook and were keeping up to date with some of the academic staff‘s research activities and there were some participants who had made attempts to engage with their degree course prior to university, with mixed success:
“Yeah I did a search my department and liked their Facebook group that they have. It was actually quite interesting to find out a bit more about what was going on before I got here” (Sara)
“I tried to find out a bit more about what my options would be but found it difficult” (Mike)
“I tried to get hold of my timetable before I got here but couldn‟t. I work part time at Tesco and was taking a transfer of stores so I could still work when I moved and wanted to try and be able to sort my shifts before to make it easier” (Zach)
7.12 ‘Friended’ by a Sabbatical on Facebook
Several students had been added as a Friend by sabbatical officers prior to moving to university: “After I‟d liked the uni Facebook page I got added by someone… this was months before I came… but anyway they added me and I went on their profile and realised it was one of the student union officers and they were obviously just adding every student” (Lucy)
Students noted their presence on Facebook and saw this as a useful and innovative way for student union representatives to engage with students:
“It‟s an inventive way to engage with students and it might not always work but that‟s the way we sort of communicate now isn‟t it” (Jessie)
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Several students also identified that it was perhaps of particular importance for Sabbatical officers to begin their engagement with transitioning first year student prior to the academic year starting, as it had helped them feel more prepared when they had questions (both academic and social in nature) that they wanted answering:
“There was a couple of things that I was a bit panicked about with living in student halls in the city and I had no idea how far away stuff was and how long to get to the uni campus so it was useful that the questions I had were answered before I got here so it put me at ease a bit more” (Claire)