Chapter 3 College and Career Success

Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

Identify ways to interact with peers and enjoy the college experience in an online setting.
Discuss the benefits gained from social interaction during the college experience.
Describe the positive effects of diversity and inclusivity on learning and personal growth.
Going to college is one of those adventures so many people share that we have a collective idea about what it means to enjoy the “college experience.” As important as grades, assignments, tests, and lessons are, they aren’t everything you can take away from going to college. You will have the chance to join clubs and associations and gain access to events and experiences you may never have even thought about before. You will also get to interact with new people in college from all walks of life, and while everyone is different, all of you are sharing similar goals to learn and grow in your chosen field. Although you will be busy learning to study, write, and engage with complex ideas at the university level, you will also have the chance to form long-lasting relationships with peers and professors. You can manage your responses to this experience and enjoy all aspects of your college journey by being aware of the opportunities and people around you.

When you decide to attend college, you commit to growing not only through completing increasingly difficult coursework, readings, and assignments but also through taking advantage of the significant opportunities the college experience affords, such as club participation, campus events, and social interactions. On top of all those required and optional situations, you likely will have other obligations such as family and work. It is likely that your new classmates are feeling the same stress you are about juggling all your responsibilities, and you can strategize solutions with them. By including a diverse group of people in this inner support system, you are exponentially improving your overall college experience. Inclusivity of all people provides you with the greatest possible chance to learn from others and be successful. Part of the college experience is making connections with others so you can help each other grow and learn.
Online learning can provide you with the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with your professors and with other students taking the same course. Conversing online can seem artificial at first, but once they get used to it, most people really enjoy online discussions. In an online course, everyone has a chance to provide their input, and you have time to craft your thoughts before you contribute. You’re not bound by the end of a class period or a limited discussion time. And you don’t have to dodge those students who seem to monopolize group discussions in face-to-face settings. Maybe you just like to take a little more time to generate your thoughts; in that case you will enjoy engaging in online discussions. Introverts and extroverts can work at their own pace and still communicate. Online discussions provide for a far more equitable platform where all voices can be heard. You will need to commit to participating effectively, however, and you’ll need specific strategies to make this happen.

Some courses include discussion threads that encourage students to answer one another’s questions. Not only could this be immensely helpful for you, it can also be a way for you to get a conversation started and help other students in turn. Many students use this sort of platform to set up study groups so they have contact information for other students to compare notes and help each other. Another approach would be to reach out to another member of the class and exchange private emails to support each other throughout the course.

Because you’re not meeting in person with faculty or other students, it can be easy to feel isolated in an online course. Building supportive online relationships and friendships requires skill and practice. The good news is students who develop good communication skills, learn to be assertive, and are able to cooperate and collaborate well in a virtual environment will find these skills highly transferable (and valued) in their personal and professional lives long after their course is over.

Keep in mind that although there may not be physical groups and clubs to join, many online universities offer these social aspects of student life virtually. An added bonus of engaging in these social experiences virtually is the flexibility it offers. Like many online students, you likely have a very busy life outside of school. Being able to participate in group discussions asynchronously or “attend” virtual meetups from your living room can make it possible both to maintain a full schedule and to take part in the college experience. In addition, as an online student you are a participant in an exciting, global community. In an online class, you may be engaging with students from faraway places or from across the street. Celebrate that, and be sure to check your university’s student services or student life offerings! Once you get comfortable with your online learning environment, you’ll be able to check in with others in your classes and at your university easily. Sometimes a short message is an effective way to make sure you are on track for an assignment, or you may need a longer exchange with others to understand a lesson. The communication modes available to us today encourage students to make attending college online both a learning and a social experience.
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3.2 Social Interaction
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3.2
Social Interaction
If you were to ask fellow students what they think are the greatest benefits of social interaction in college, you would probably get a wide and colorful range of responses. How would you answer? Gaining good friends to talk about your classes with? Easing loneliness during difficult times? Having a group to join for Friday night fun? Indeed, there are many, many benefits personal to each of us. But you may find, too, that there are certain benefits that are recognizable to all.

Form Deep and Lasting Relationships
When you socialize regularly in college, you tend to develop deep and lasting relationships. Even if some of the connections are shorter term, they can support you in different ways. For example, maybe a classmate in your same major is interested in starting a business with you. Or maybe a professor helps you figure out the perfect career path. With a foundation of caring and concern, you are bound to find that your interdependent relationships built on mutual reliance or mutual dependence fulfill you and others. It’s unlikely that students without interdependent relationships will experience these kinds of benefits.

Two men on a video call.
Merlas/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Your courses provide a number of opportunities for social interactions such as study groups.

Develop Good Study Habits
Study habits vary from student to student, but you can usually tell when studying and social life are at odds. Developing good study habits can enable you to balance your academic responsibilities with the importance of enjoying a social life. Creative, organized students can combine studying and socializing for maximum advantage. For example, you might join a peer study group for a subject you find difficult or even for a subject in which you excel. You can often connect with those looking to find study partners right through your course! Either way, you and others gain from this relationship. Everyone receives mutual support not only for studying but also for building social connections.

Minimize Stress
When you feel stressed, what are your “go-to” behaviors? It can be hard to reach out to others during times of stress, but socializing can be a great stress reliever. When you connect with others, you may find that life is a little easier and burdens can be shared and lightened. Helping is mutual. The key is to balance social activities with responsibilities.

Share Interests
In college, students have opportunities not only to explore a wide spectrum of interests but also to share them. In the process of exploring and developing your personal interests, you may join a club or group through your university’s social media pages or even through smaller group pages set up by other students who have interests similar to your own. By connecting with others in a context of shared interests, everyone stands to gain because you expand knowledge and experience through social interaction.

Develop Social Skills
As you engage in social activities in college, you have the opportunity to observe how other people act in these situations. You may see behaviors you want to emulate or behaviors you wish to avoid. For example, you may see another student who always seems upbeat in discussion forum posts, and you like the tone of those posts. You don’t need to copy exact phrases from that student, but maybe you can add a positive spin to one of your posts to see how that works for you. Through these observations and experiences, you can learn new ways to handle yourself in social situations. These skills will benefit you as you pursue a career and engage with people who interest and inspire you.

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3.3 Diversity and Inclusion
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3.3
Diversity and Inclusion
Few words in the English language have more distinct interpretations than “diversity.” What does diversity mean? Better yet—what does diversity mean to you? What does it mean to your best friend, your teacher, your parents, your religious leader, or the person standing behind you in a grocery store?

In the context of your college experience, diversity generally refers to people around you who differ by race, culture, age, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, abilities, opinions, political views, and other ways. You could say that college students, even within the same university, are diverse in some of the same ways that people who live in different parts of the same country are diverse. Diversity among peers may help you when you want to form a study group, for instance, with students in your major. The variety of experiences and perspectives brought to the group can help everyone learn and think about material in new ways. When it comes to diversity on the college campus, we also think about how groups interact with one another, given their differences (even if they’re just perceived differences).

Positive Effects of Diversity in an Educational Setting
Why does diversity matter in college? When you are exposed to new ideas, viewpoints, customs, and perspectives—which invariably happens when you come in contact with diverse groups of people—you expand your frame of reference for understanding the world. Your thinking becomes more open and global. You become comfortable working and interacting with people of other nationalities. You gain a new knowledge base as you learn from people who are different from yourself. When you embrace diversity instead of ignoring it or merely tolerating diverse groups of people, you will begin to understand that most complex issues are multilayered and can be interpreted differently depending on which side’s perspective you are viewing. You gain the ability to think harder and more creatively about lots of topics, from seemingly simple things like food choices to more blatantly complex ideas like relationships and religious ideologies. You perceive subjects in new ways, seeing issues and problems from new angles. You can absorb and consider a wider range of options, and your values may be enriched. In short, it contributes to your lifelong education.

Consider the facts shown in Figure 3.1 about diversity in the United States.

Figure 3.1
Diversity in the United States

Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060, by J. Vespa, L. Medina, and D. Armstrong, 2020, U.S. Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf ); Future Immigration Will Change the Face of America by 2065, by D. Cohn, 2015, Pew Research Center (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/05/future-immigration-will-change-the-face-of-america-by-2065/ ); U.S. Census Bureau Releases New Educational Attainment Data, by U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/educational-attainment.html); Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2018, by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019 (https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/race-and-ethnicity/2018/home.htm).

Infographic illustrating diversity in the United States. 50.2% of all babies born in the United States today are people of color. By 2065, the United States will likely not have a clear racial or ethnic majority. As people prepare to become tomorrow’s leaders, college plays a major role in helping prepare them for this role. 36% of Americans over 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher; this is the case for only 26% of African Americans and 19% of Hispanics. More must be done to educate the whole population and help prepare students to enter the workforce. By 2050, research predicts that half the workforce will be people of color. Today, people of color make up about 22% percent of the workforce. Colleges can help navigate this change.
All in all, diversity brings richness to relationships on campus and off campus, and it further prepares college students to thrive and work in a multicultural world.

Inclusivity: Championing Diverse Contributions
We hear a lot about diversity in the news and on social media, and sometimes you may think you don’t need to focus on this important topic, because you know people from other races and religions and you’re nice to everyone. While that’s a good start, and while you personally may not actively perpetuate discrimination, ignoring the fact that some people are treated differently based on any number of personal characteristics doesn’t help the situation. What can you do then? Start by recasting your focus from seeking out diversity toward including those who may otherwise be excluded, a practice known as inclusivity. Don’t leave any groups or people out just because one person or another may have challenges fitting in. Make it less about fitting in to preconceived and possibly outdated groups and more about redrawing the vision of what the group could be without any restrictions. Don’t limit yourself to living life in a comfortable bubble because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Bring others into your circle who may be able to share a new way to approach a problem or a better way to succeed. College is an excellent microcosm of society, with people from a range of races, ages, and religions, as well as from different economic and experiential backgrounds. You get to participate in this setting, so use that amazing range to your advantage. Learn from these other perspectives—interact respectfully and don’t be afraid to allow others to get to know you. Remember, you are the “other” to people who are different from you as well.

Respecting and including diverse viewpoints in your day-to-day life doesn’t automatically mean you need to change any aspect of your own personality. What genuinely thinking about what others say and believe does mean is bettering your understanding of differences and other people and being able to add that comprehension to your critical analysis of situations. You may end up thinking differently from when you first looked at a topic because you viewed it from someone else’s perspective, or you may agree that both viewpoints are valid and can coexist. Regardless of the outcome of any one topic, the diverse colors in the 64-count box of crayons create a much more vibrant picture than using just a pencil.

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Chapter 3
Summary

Conclusion
Experiencing college is one of the life events you will look back on for the rest of your life. You owe it to yourself to make the most of all the resources you have to make the experience positive and successful. Engage in all the opportunities you can to socialize with fellow students and to learn together as you go through your courses. That sense of community leads to more effective study sessions and less overall stress than trying to go it alone.

Many employers consider the college experience to be a way for future employees to hone their social habits and other personal skills students may not directly learn in a classroom, such as getting along on a team, active listening, or following instructions. Along with your discipline-specific coursework, these skills pay high dividends for college graduates. That’s why employers are willing to pay people with college degrees more money and offer them more responsibility.

Getting to know different types of people and learning from them makes you even more valuable. No boss wants to deal with someone who limits the growth of the company by refusing to work with people from diverse backgrounds. It will benefit you to use your university experience as a practice area for going into the workplace. Learn all you can about working with others and celebrating the wealth of knowledge you can gain from others. Practicing social skills during your college experience in an online setting can also provide you with relevant traits employers look for during interviews.