This paper reports the early stages of a funded UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) project, "Widening Participation: Diversity, isolation or integration in Higher Education?" The project is concerned with greater equity, social justice, integration and social cohesion within the global market of higher education (HE). The main aim of this three year project is to explore the nature of social integration and separation, equality and discrimination experienced by diverse, minority, disadvantaged and under-represented students attending higher education in UK and India. In year 1 students and staff from five HEIs across both countries were invited to keep a record of what for them were important and relevant events on campus relating to the teaching, learning and social situations they encountered. Getting the target sample of 90 respondents proved difficult and the researchers were left pondering whether the record keeping method was appropriate, if there were important local differences in gaining access to participants, and if there was a general reluctance to talk about diversity issues. This paper addresses the problems encountered in gaining that initial sample, how they were eventually overcome and with what result.