Academic burnout doesn’t always relate to grades; loneliness plays just as much of a role.
A University degree’s like a cake; there’s an ingredients list that’s compiled of time in the library, office hours with professors, in-class learning, and devotion to good grades all year-round. A cake can’t be finished if there’s no one to put it together.
In University, students have the ingredients for success to achieve their degree, but if they don’t have the support around them, receiving their diploma becomes a whole lot harder. Socialization is often described as an additional aspect that accompanies university; however, studies suggest that socialization is central to learning as it boosts motivation, strengthens academic understanding, and ultimately protects the student’s well-being.
A study titled “The Benefits of Friendships in Academic Settings,” suggests that friendships positively shape an academic environment, fostering the ability to succeed in the classroom. Friendships reduce stress, which improves an individual’s ability to focus.
While promoting collaborative learning strategies, socialization influences high levels of retention and understanding. Students enroll in university for their academics, but it’s the friendships that influence the likelihood of a student choosing to stay for a second year. In addition, students who have friends to socialize with at their institution were more likely to have higher GPAs than those whose friends lived outside of the town.
With COVID-19, learning changed the way many people were able to adapt and learn in isolation. The illustrated that many of the students realized they really enjoyed school when they were forced out of the classroom. The students framed school as a setting that allowed them to socialize with people their own age and create a social network.
One of the main problems reported with online learning was their ability to stay motivated and concentrated. In addition, first-year university students specifically undergo high levels of stress through their transition period into their new academic setting. “Perceived Social Support and Stress” suggests that first-year students will have a more successful academic year if their social status flourishes throughout their time transitioning.
While managing stress and academic deadlines, social networks foster higher engagement and promote an easier time handling stressful environments. By connecting the results from both studies, social networks in the classroom have played a pivotal role in learning throughout a student’s entire academic career, and they must persist through the change into university from primary schools.
In relation to “The Benefits of Friendships in Academic Settings”, the connection between concentration, motivation and socialization parallels academic success.
The first year of university is commonly a stressful experience, as one ventures into a new town and school and must interact with new people. Although students can be stressed about a new environment and new faces, many studies have indicated that students who travel to a new institution find that 97 per cent of first-year students have made a best friend by the end of the first semester.
University builds relationships, connections, and it takes teenagers and forms them into adults. While students balance academics, becoming “homeowners,” feeding themselves and functioning as an individual apart from parental support, students naturally learn to rely on friendships for the betterment of their social status and for the improvement of their self-understanding.
The geography of Queen’s is designed for social interaction by having housing in such close quarters, bringing students even closer together
In turn, Queen’s is noted by many as a “party school,” but it’s also one of the most prestigious in terms of academic . The bar scene, the connection between varsity sports, the promotion of first-year bonding, intramural opportunities, clubs and extra-curricular activities are all concepts that are continually engaged with by Queen’s students. These places foster collaboration and social interaction, taking people away from their studies to build relationships and have fun.
Without taking away from the importance of academics, it’s evident that having these interactions is vital to one’s experience at university. The point of this opinion isn’t to sway the student body to go out every weekend and neglect their studies; rather, this piece suggests that it’s important to consider socialization as a core aspect in furthering academic success.
Students have classrooms, libraries, engaged professors, books, resources and abilities to be successful in getting their university degree. But an individual must remember, a cake can’t be baked if there are no hands to support its process.
Kayla Gunn is a fourth-year English Student
Tags
academic quality, isolation, Opinions, social life
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Mons pub
What a great article, I really appreciate this opinion!