Understanding the Academic and Social Integration Process of Students Entering Higher Education: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions in numerous fields, including higher education. New students have been identified as a vulnerable sub-population experiencing stress and mental health problems due to the pandemic. Little research, however, explores how and why they are particularly vulnerable. We aimed to answer (1) how new students experienced their academic and social integration process during the pandemic and (2) how these changing conditions might affect their mental well-being. Methods: The researchers performed five focus group discussions with 23 new students (i.e., first-year students, international students, and students from a bridging program) from several faculties. Focus groups were coded and analyzed by two researchers. An abductive analytical perspective was used, building on the integration and emerging adulthood literature. Results: Three main processes were identified: (1) academic and social integration, formerly intertwined, have become two separate goals; (2) integration increasingly became the students' responsibility; and (3) COVID-19 measures and emerging adulthood expectations clashed: increasing social connection, exploration, and carefree living were replaced by, respectively, social isolation, lingering monotony, and increasing worries. Conclusion: COVID-19 measures presented students with a dichotomy in which they were pushed faster into adulthood by taking up increasing responsibilities and at the same time remained socially stuck in adolescence by not living up to emerging adulthood expectations.