Guest Post - Making Friends in College as an Adult

marybabysteps — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:34:45 EDT

While Never Too Late for College has discussed the importance of building a social and professional network while maintaining a strong support system, many do not realize that as an adult attending college, you may find it difficult to make friends with all the responsibilities you have to deal with that your peers may not. Making school friends, however is very important if you want completely integrate into college life. Here are a few pointers for making new friends on campus.

Photo by u7b

When you first begin being involved in your school, you may notice that you are older than most students, and you may feel uncomfortable being among those who are younger, sometimes significantly so, than you. Still, if you force yourself to retain the mindset that you are not a whole lot different than these kids, it will be much easier to make friends. Find things in common with your peers, and you'd be surprised by how easy it is to get along with almost anyone if you are open to doing so.

One issue that may be keeping you from enjoying the social environment in a university is that you feel as though you are too old to have the same sort of fun your peers are having. You may fear being the oldest person at the party or social function. When I was in college, I had befriended many older students, and although they were reticent at first, they soon embraced student life and became some of the most fun people to hang out with.

Chatting someone up in the cafeteria or talking to a student after class will only take you so far in making new friends in college. And this is true of all students, no matter what age. If you really want to enjoy a robust social life, then you will have to take charge. Find out what student activities you can and would like to participate in, and talk to students after class about starting a study group that meets after class in the evenings.

Of course, it may be frustrating every once in a while to be conversing with students who are much younger than you, because they often do not share the same experiences. Almost every university has a sizeable population of older students, and many of them are just as nervous about making friends as you may be. Find out from other students and professors if you don't personally know any older students. Once you meet some, you'll be able to have other older students to talk who can commiserate with your own problems of living the student life but having adult responsibilities, too.

Making friends in school is really not that difficult once you've dedicated yourself to opening up to others. Even if it has been awhile since you were last in school, you'll soon see how easy it is to get back in the swing of things.

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

Have You Set Goals for the Semester?

marybabysteps — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:47:48 EDT

Photo Credit: kris__xx

As an adult, there are probably many times in your life that you've set goals. You set professional goals and work to meet them so that you can show your boss how productive you are or to work toward that promotion. You set household goals and work as a family to complete them. You set personal goals such as losing weight or breaking bad habits. It only makes sense to set some goals for the upcoming semester. There is a process to setting goals in order to increase your chances of attaining them. This is what I suggest.

Be Specific

Goals that are too vague rarely get accomplished. For instance, if you simply state that you want to lose some weight, it's likely that you won't know exactly what to work toward. Instead, choose a number of pounds you want to lose and make a plan to do it. Same goes for school. Make your goals specific. Do you want to earn a minimum Grade Point Average? Do you intend to study so many hours each week? Keep specific things in mind when creating your goals.

Write It Down

Writing your goals down makes them more tangible; you're able to see what it is you're working toward. Commiting your goals to paper also helps you to make a plan. An action plan is necessary for successful goal setting. How will you reach that specific GPA? Write down your steps to success.

Set Time Frames

There are long term goals, and there are short term goals. It's important to be aware of both kinds and to break things down based on appropriate time frames. Consider setting semester goals, yearly goals, as well as goals for your entire college career. You'll see that the goals for each are very different. Though you may be very anxious to reach those long term goals, breaking them down allows you to see how the short term goals will eventually lead to the long term. This makes each step of the way more meaningful.

Don't Forget the Personal

Come up with some personal goals as well as academic. As you reach these personal milestones, your confidence will increase, and you'll feel more whole. Though college has become a very big part of your life now, it certainly isn't the only part. Don't neglect your personal life.

Be Realistic

We all have lofty goals every now and then. But being realistic about your goals leads to increased success and an overall better feeling about yourself. Adding college coursework to an already busy life is quite a task. Don't impose crazy expectations upon yourself and be sure to cut yourself some slack.

Take Stock

Always be sure to assess your goals on occassion. This will help you to be sure you're on track, and you'll be able to tweak things a bit if you find that you've gone off your path. You may even find that you need to change some of your goals all together, and that's okay.

These are some tips to get you started. If you get stuck, visit your academic adviser for some more suggestions. And you can always contact me at marydaviswrites(at)gmail(dot)com with specific questions. I'm happy to help!

Never Too Late For College

Guest Post - Making Friends in College as an Adult

Have You Set Goals for the Semester?