The mycelium of student experiences: Capturing the relational network of transitions as becoming

While university student transitions are often framed as processes of becoming, this perspective does not fully capture the multifaceted nature of student transitions. Even approaches that acknowledge the heterogeneity of student experiences and adopt a rhizomatic perspective tend to imply individual autonomy rather than reflect the hyper‐connected nature of contemporary student life. To our knowledge, there are no empirical studies that explore student transitions as becoming from a relational perspective. This is an oversight because the experiences of students throughout their time at university are underpinned by different forms of relationships. Our qualitative study involves postgraduate university students and draws from their personal reflections to ask: How do students experience transition as becoming in relation to others and their environment? Our data reveals that each student has multiple unique micro‐experiences, including what we describe as nutrients and toxins which, respectively, can enrich or erode their experiences. Together, these form a relational network of student transitions as becoming. We use the concept of mycelium as a metaphor to represent the entangled and interconnected ecosystem of emotions and relationships, which shape student transitions, moving from the individual to the collective level. We contribute to theory of student transition by highlighting the relational aspects of student transition as becoming. We theorise transitions as relational, symbiotic and collaborative networks, including numerous interconnecting micro‐experiences that are often unseen by university staff. Collectively, these form the ‘mycelium of student experiences’ which can contribute to relational pedagogy in all aspects of students' lives in higher education. We argue that higher education institutions can be enablers of students' mycelium networks to successfully support them through their university journeys.