Focus Groups

Focus groups followed a semi-structured set of questions. Within focus groups, most students answered each question although some contributed less to the overall discussion. Examples of topics covered included adapting to university life; expectations about what it would be like; challenges during the transition; and factors that helped or hindered the process. The focus group interview schedule can be found in Supplementary File 1.

Each focus group was conducted by the first author. Data collection was carried out during November and December 2019, which corresponded to semester 1 of the first year at university. Focus groups were conducted in students' halls of residence so the environment was familiar to participants. This ensured that there was an appropriate member of staff (e.g., a residential adviser) to draw on if required. Each focus group lasted 1 h and each discussion was recorded using a Dictaphone. Data were anonymised at the point of transcription. All transcription was undertaken by the first author to allow maximum data immersion.