Originally published in 1984 provides a detailed analysis of the student experience, based on first hand discussion and observation. Information taken from interviews with a wide variety of students is used to explore the way in which new, overseas, and female physics students in particular experience university education and relates to their reactions to the organised learning which the university provides. The study focuses on an understanding of how various aspects of the official perspectives of academic staff contrive to limit the educational development of the undergraduate. This detailed picture of the university world is in contrast to previous methods of research in this area. By showing the benefits to be derived from an analysis of the experiences of students within one small campus based university this book is related to critical American studies previously unparalleled in the British university research tradition.