Abstract:
In meeting “the goals of equity, social justice, and delivering benefits to society as a whole” (Hodges, Bedford, Hartley, Klinger, Murray, O’Rourke & Schofield, 2013, p.5) enabling programs provide a valuable pathway into higher education. Following the identification of the characteristics of a representative sample of the 2016 – 2017 enabling students at a regional Australian university this paper critically examines what students believe are the benefits and challenges in preparing themselves for university study. Qualitative formal and informal feedback received from students across their first semester at university is thematically examined using NVIVO and charts their experiences of adaption through the transition phase of the student lifecycle. This paper identifies what students ‘take away‘ from their experiences of university and provides provocation for discussion on ‘how best’ to support the needs and perspectives of students whose “characteristics are linked to [a] lower likelihood of completion” (Edwards & McMillan, 2015, p. vi).