Becoming a university student is a key transitional event and has life-changing consequences for the individual. Students have to transition from old ways of thinking, behaving and living their lives to new ones. Students encounter lots of different transitions on their journey to university. For many students the process can be confusing and unsettling; for some, this process of transition can be extremely complicated and even painful.
For overseas students entering the university, the process can be even more confusing and unsettling. They have to contend with an unfamiliar, culture, climate and language as well as all the transitional issues faced by other students.
Mature students face their own particular set of transitional challenges as they enter university. Many have not studied for some time and can find the return to full-time learning challenging, resulting in them feeling lost in the culture of higher education. Social integration within the university can be more difficult for mature students because they are more likely to live at home than other students. Mature students are also much more likely to have dependents and family commitments that compete with the need to study.