Bridging the gap: Facilitating students’ transition from pre–tertiary to university psychology education

The transition from school or college to university education is an exciting time for most students, but also one that is filled with new challenges. Students are faced with new styles of teaching and learning, and are required to be more independent and acquire new skill sets. For psychology students, there may be an additional challenge in the form of studying a subject that is novel to them, or they may need to revise their understanding of the nature of their subject from their perception pre–university. This article will review some of the current literature on student transitions, and on psychology students’ preparation for degree–level study, and will recommend collaborative working and increased dialogue between the pre–tertiary and university sectors as one way to smooth the transition.