CB+written+clue

Written Part of CLUE

Problem

Growing up people made friends that they are comfortable with, know very well, and trust completely. These friends were a safe haven for us throughout our first twelve years of schooling. Then when you graduate and go off to college it’s a whole new experience. You start fresh and are not necessarily in that comfort zone that you were used to. So how do you made new friends and meet new people when you go away to college? How do you find that group of people to be your second family and create your home away from home? Through interviews, observations, and reading __My Freshman__ Year by Rebekah Nathan, I have come to comprehend how students go about meeting new people and making new friends when away at college.

Background

Rebekah Nathan, a college professor at AnyU was interested in why her students acted the way they did. She wanted to know why some students were late to class, or ate meals during lectures and etc. Therefore, she enrolled in her own university in order to observe her students at a closer level. When she did this, she found that there were a number of ways that people became socially involved. She noticed how important the social lives or her students was to them. Nathan found that joining organizations and groups were a main way of meeting new people with similar interests. One student that she talked to even said, “There are so many clubs to choose from here-you can pick any interest and there will be a club for it.” I then decided to compare the social lives of Bloomsburg University students to see if they included their social life as a priority and what they did to make friends and meet new people.

Method

In my own personal studies, I found that Bloomsburg University students were similar to the students studied at AnyU. College students had similar ideas and suggestions to meet new people. One student that I interviewed told me about how she joined the swim team here at Bloomsburg University. She went on to tell me how her teammates became her family. They all had something in common and can relate to each other. This is how she claims that their relationships escalated into her teammates becoming some of the best friends she’s ever had. A different student also put her social life as a top priority in college. She said that spending time with her friends along with her academics are definitely two of the main things that she focuses on away at school. This particular student is in the honors program and made many friends through that. She stated, “Making friends who were also in the honors program definitely helped me adjust to college life. These people understand my work load and can help me balance out my social life along with my studies.” Last, I analyzed me own personal experience here at Bloomsburg. My first semester here I struggled with finding things to do and making the right friends. I went home or to visit my high school friends often and really disliked being here. Then, my second semester I joined a sorority here which is how I met and have made my best friends in the entire world. Now that I found my niche and have these amazing people around me, I never want to leave.

Findings

Socialization seems to be extremely important to college students. They need to find ways to meet new people and make new friends when coming to college and starting fresh. Through reading __My Freshman Year__ and interviewing students on campus, I found that getting involved in organizations and clubs is a great way to meet new people. Whether it’s a sports team, Greek life, an academic association, or any type of club, it’s crucial to get yourself out there and get involved.