80,000 Messages, 1 Community: How University West Built Belonging Before Day One with Goin’

The Challenge: Supporting Students Before Day One

Every year, international students arrive in a new country without knowing a single person. As Tomas Bengtsson, Director of International Affairs at University West, reflects, "The hardest part of starting university is meeting your classmates on the same day you start. Now, they connect earlier, they’re already creating groups before classes begin, and that changes everything."

Recognizing that the pre-arrival “limbo” is a risk period filled with uncertainty, Tomas and his team wanted a way to ensure students felt safer, more informed, and emotionally prepared,  without overwhelming staff resources or breaching privacy protocols like GDPR.

The Solution: A Community Students Build Themselves

With Goin’, University West launched a student community that immediately gave students the power to connect, ask questions, and find their place, all before setting foot in Sweden. What started as a solution to support new students quickly grew into a self-sustaining ecosystem.

And it didn’t stop with just one cohort.

“In the first year it was just the new students,” Tomas says. “But now, those students that started last year are still on there, helping the new students. That’s a good sign. I thought I would need to engage ambassadors more, but now it’s on their own.”

That sense of continuity is what makes Goin’ work seamlessly with universities and their students, it becomes a part of the student lifecycle.

A Community That Drives Results and Belonging

The results from University West’s Goin’ community are compelling. They reflect a measurable shift in student wellbeing. In fact, 95% of Goin’ users say the platform reduces anxiety about starting university, and 96% say it supports their practical preparation. This connection allowed for the following:

• Over 80,000 messages exchanged in a single cycle.
  
  
• Top groups like “Housing” (304 members) and “Part-Time Jobs” (295 members) highlight students’ eagerness to prepare and support each other.
  
  
• Identity-based and academic groups like “Students in Africa,” “Robotics & Automation,” and “Leadership in Digitalized Organizations” allow for connection beyond logistics, deepening the sense of belonging.

Student Sentiment From Over 70 Countries

• “It’s great to get an idea of who my classmates are and also ask questions to current students. I was trying to connect with current students on LinkedIn, but this is much easier! Nice to ask questions to the students who have lived the experience, instead of just reading websites” – Alyssa, Canada
  
  
• “It brought me closer to the university and provided a lot of answers for preparation and to have a feeling of my purpose to study in UW.” – Mathias, Nigeria
  
  
• “The first time in a new country can be quite overwhelming, and having a community of people going through similar experiences can be super supportive. It just makes everything feel a bit more relaxed and familiar.” – Jasmin, Germany
  
  
• “I 100% love that I have access to my future classmates in real time.” – Ekemini, Nigeria
  
  
• “It makes me feel like I’m already in Sweden even when I’m not there yet. All my questions that I had are being answered instantly and with great clarity!” – Namulyowa, Uganda

These datapoints not only reflect the outcome, but they represent friendships, reassurance, and student-led support that can be challenging for universities to do at scale on their own.

Low Effort, High Impact, And The Human Touch Behind the Tech

“It’s not so much work for us,” Tomas explains. “The staff was a bit afraid at first, considering GDPR and additional time to implement, but everything is handled between Goin’ and the students. We just had to send out the invite. It really helps and saves a lot of time.”

What makes Goin’ work so well is how naturally it meets students where they are: curious, nervous, and eager to connect.

For Tomas, the experience with Goin’ goes beyond the platform itself. “It’s only the app but it’s also the people, at Goin’” he adds. “It wasn’t that long ago that the founders were students themselves. In that way, they really see from the student perspective.”

Looking Ahead

University West’s story proves that early connection isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. When students feel confident and supported before arrival, they arrive more engaged, more prepared, and more likely to thrive. And thanks to Goin’, this happens at scale, without adding to staff workload.

As Tomas puts it: “When I was a student, I would have felt a bit safer in the first weeks if I knew who would be there. That’s what Goin’ gives them.”

Curious how your university can create the same impact? See Goin’ in action by signing up for a demo, or schedule a meeting with our team.