For most people, college contributes to some of the most influential seasons of life. It’s the first sense of full freedom in a young adult’s life, and the decisions that happen in those four years often determine the path one will continue on for the remainder of their future. In other words, many adult responsibilities start to come at you really fast.
This idea alone can often be overwhelming. Suddenly you have a new living situation away from home, a campus full of people you don’t know and new classes on topics you’ve never studied before — and that’s just in your freshman year. A study by Unibuddy showed that 67% of incoming freshmen did not feel socially prepared for college and 90% of students felt nervous about the upcoming experience.
In my opinion, building community in college is extremely vital to a student’s success. College is a time of learning trial and error. Going through a big transition by yourself with minimal help can be detrimental to students.
Being alone for the first time doesn’t mean that you have to remain in isolation. In most cases, incoming college students must build connections from scratch. These interactions help build social skills, because students have to go out of their way to make friends. This can be one of many useful skills that are learned outside the classroom in a college setting.
Liberty University does a fantastic job of allowing students to easily get connected with a wide array of events and many dorms being socially focused. The friendships that are built can be lifelong, but it’s also good to remember that some people will be placed in your life only for a season to share your college years with. Everything is better with friends, so being able to experience all that the Lord has for you alongside others helps grow bonds and is crucial to keeping students on track.
The second reason why it’s important for college students to build community is because connections are crucial to employment after graduation. Meeting people who are in the same field as you is an extremely important aspect to landing a job or internship. In an article published by Johns Hopkins University the authors said networking not only leads to obtaining referrals,but it also benefits your future growth.
Something my professors have preached, and that I have come to experience is that simply going to class and getting a degree doesn’t guarantee a job. Who you know — the community and connections you’ve built — will give you the edge when employers are deciding who to hire.
Community in college is crucial because not only does it build valuable social skills that prepare students for the problems they will face in the real world, but it also allows them to meet people who can help them get a job when it is time to graduate. Building friendships and a strong community in college sets students up for success in their careers while also giving them relationships they can carry on past school and into the rest of their lives.
Mider is an opinion reporter for the Liberty Champion.