We report on a study carried out by the Mathematics Department at the National University of Ireland Maynooth to determine why students do or do not engage with mathematics support. Initial interviews were conducted with students who had failed first year. This paper gives preliminary findings from interviews with a second group of students who had passed first year. Students were chosen who had similar mathematical backgrounds to the first group and who had all engaged with mathematics. The students’ mathematical backgrounds do not appear to be the only major factor in determining engagement. We found that both groups experienced similar difficulties and problems. However, the second group had several different strategies or coping mechanisms to enable them to get through. We compare the two groups and will discuss some of these coping mechanisms in detail.