Are you listening? The recommendations of second year students as they transition through university

Student transitions through university are complex. In recent years, the pandemic and austerity have significantly impacted student experience and engagement, and higher education institutions are realising that they need to listen to students to address their needs. The purpose of this case study is to foreground student voice to understand student experience and engagement of those enrolled in the second year of study at a post-1992 university in the United Kingdom. Our findings draw on qualitative data collected from an online survey and focus groups. We find that student life in the modern university is complex and has been compounded by austerity and post-pandemic hybrid work-study cultures and institutions can be slow to respond to such societal shifts. We conclude by calling for universities to develop diverse and responsive methods to capture student voice and be more adaptive when responding to academic, social and personal concerns raised by students