upon qualitative interview data with eight local students gathered as part of a three year Leverhulme funded project involving ninety middle-class and working-class students at Bristol’s two universities who were interviewed twice in their first year of undergraduate study. Analysis of the data suggests that whilst some of the students participate less in social activities and socialise less with their peers, many do not feel that they are ‘missing out’ and often place emphasis on university as a means of gaining a degree rather than an ‘experience’ as such. Indeed some students saw themselves as benefiting from staying at home due to the support networks provided by family and friends. Furthermore, these students refuted the dominant perception of university as an important time to learn independence as they felt that they were provided with a home environment in which they were afforded adequate freedoms and responsibilities.