Marine Collins' essay was selected by his peers at Kirkwood Community College as "Best in Class." Marine loves to hunt--just about anything. He plans to major in Business. Congratulations, Marine!Make Time for Friends
by Marine Collins
Starting out my freshman year in college I will admit that I was scared. I felt like I was the only one who was going through this change. Sure, hundreds of other high school seniors were about to jump into the real world just like me, but though we shared the same goal, we all set out on separate journeys. I think what kept me sane my first two semesters was having close friends who were going through the same college endeavor, and so were able to relate to me and give me advice on how they handled certain situations . . . .
Getting to eat out with friends or walk over to the Rec Center and work out together allowed me to rid myself of the stress I had built up.
I believe that in order to make it out of college alive and enjoy
opportunities, students should have close friends, for it offers four important
benefits: It helps break someone out of their high school shield; it can decrease
the feeling of being homesick; it may limit the stress of course work; and it
will broaden the college journey.
I know that some people think they just do not have the time in their schedule for making friends, or that they have plenty of friends from high school still. They argue that seeking friendships seems difficult at large universities or colleges. I can understand that point of view, and beginning college it might be hard to balance a pile of assignments and trying to make friends. However, when the student stays in their room on the weekends and feeling alone, it can create an unnecessary depressive state. Once students branch out and break through their social barriers, they will gain a sense of confidence in themselves. They will feel the relief of being a part not only of the college, but of the student body too. In sum, when students have close friends they increase the quality of their experience by doing things like signing up for clubs and enjoying what their campus has to offer.
Going out and spending time with friends can open students to new adventures. If they do make friends, they will create great memories; If they don’t make friends, they will miss out on those memories. Colleges don’t just hand out genuine experiences, it is the self-motivated students who seek them.
Of course, finding the right balance of socializing and class work can be a challenge. Too much socializing may lead a young adult down the road of partying and not caring about classes: Students, after all, will make mistakes from time to time. On the other hand, too little socializing will not allow an individual to make the type of friends who will have their back through the next four challenging years.
It all depends on how students manage their time, to balance socializing and studying. A student who stays on task with studying in between classes and keeps up with deadlines, can go out and socialize with friends on the weekends. This is a stressful time in a young adult’s life; and when college students put in the work, they should have time with friends. Having close peers by my side helped me stay focused and stress free my first year in college, venting to them whenever I needed to talk or asking them to read over a paper that wasn’t sounding the way I wanted it to. My own positive experience suggests that close friends, and an appropriate amount of socializing, functions not so much as a “distraction,” but more of a support system, which overall can create a memorable experience.
I know that some people think they just do not have the time in their schedule for making friends, or that they have plenty of friends from high school still. They argue that seeking friendships seems difficult at large universities or colleges. I can understand that point of view, and beginning college it might be hard to balance a pile of assignments and trying to make friends. However, when the student stays in their room on the weekends and feeling alone, it can create an unnecessary depressive state. Once students branch out and break through their social barriers, they will gain a sense of confidence in themselves. They will feel the relief of being a part not only of the college, but of the student body too. In sum, when students have close friends they increase the quality of their experience by doing things like signing up for clubs and enjoying what their campus has to offer.
Going out and spending time with friends can open students to new adventures. If they do make friends, they will create great memories; If they don’t make friends, they will miss out on those memories. Colleges don’t just hand out genuine experiences, it is the self-motivated students who seek them.
Of course, finding the right balance of socializing and class work can be a challenge. Too much socializing may lead a young adult down the road of partying and not caring about classes: Students, after all, will make mistakes from time to time. On the other hand, too little socializing will not allow an individual to make the type of friends who will have their back through the next four challenging years.
It all depends on how students manage their time, to balance socializing and studying. A student who stays on task with studying in between classes and keeps up with deadlines, can go out and socialize with friends on the weekends. This is a stressful time in a young adult’s life; and when college students put in the work, they should have time with friends. Having close peers by my side helped me stay focused and stress free my first year in college, venting to them whenever I needed to talk or asking them to read over a paper that wasn’t sounding the way I wanted it to. My own positive experience suggests that close friends, and an appropriate amount of socializing, functions not so much as a “distraction,” but more of a support system, which overall can create a memorable experience.