Times Higher Education

This episode of Campus Talks heads back to school. As millions of freshmen prepare to start university – whether that’s on campus or online – we look at what institutions can do to make the transition to higher education a bit less overwhelming and a little more tailored to a cohort who are informed by AI and social media and focused on career-based skills. Orientation is no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition. For universities, this means listening to students’ need for flexibility, taking into account their different backgrounds and ages, and addressing barriers to the settling-in process. We speak to Rachel Gable, director of academic programme authorisation at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the author of The Hidden Curriculum: First Generation Students at Legacy Universities (Princeton University Press, 2021) and the upcoming The College Handbook: How to Arrive, Survive, and Thrive on Campus (PUP, 2026). With a background in anthropology and a doctorate in education fr