Like all ‘natural experiences’ transitions can seem mysterious—‘something is happening to me’. To make sense of these natural yet potentially emotional experiences we need a language to name them, think about, talk about, reflect on, and even plan for them. This paper outlines a conceptual framework that can form the basis of this language. It describes changes in identity in terms of three phases of transition, relating these to the experience of tertiary students transitioning into their university life and out into the professional world. It outlines a workshop approach to preparing students for their transition experiences, and the introduction of the framework to sessional staff. This work should be of interest to both student support staff and academics, especially those who teach either first or final year students, or who lead curriculum development for those students.

Keywords: transition, identity, conceptual framework