Community building

What are the benefits of social support in college?

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 shop” 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. These are highlighted below.

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 college friend in your same major is interested in starting a business with you. Or maybe a roommate helps you find a job. With a foundation of caring and concern, you are bound to find that your interdependent relationships fulfill you and others. It’s unlikely that students without interdependent relationships will experience these kinds of benefits.

Develop Good Study Habits

• Study habits vary from student to student, but you can usually tell when studying and social life are at odds. Creative, organized students can combine studying and socializing for maximum advantage. For example, you might join a peer study group for a subject that you find difficult or even for a subject that you excel in. Either way, you and others gain from this relationship. There is mutual support not only for studying but 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, there are 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 perhaps work in a campus location that fits your interests. 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. Throughout 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.

How to make new friends in college?

It can seem difficult and challenging to make friends in college and develop a community of peer support.  Related to the concept of the growth mindset, you can learn how to communicate more effectively with others and foster supportive interactions. The “doors” to more effective interactions are threefold:

1. Examine your reservations

2. Engage with others

3. Expand your social circle

Examine Your Reservations

Everybody feels shy or insecure from time to time, but if you feel inhibited by your shyness, it may be because you’ve developed certain habits of thought that don’t serve your best interests anymore. Below are some strategies to help you examine reservations you may have about engaging in social activities.

• Change ideas and thoughts: In our busy, high-octane lives, it’s not always easy to be aware of our thoughts, especially habitual thoughts that sometimes lurk behind the others. But if we make a point to listen to our thoughts, we may discover some that we’d like to change. Once you begin to recognize thoughts you’d like to change, you can train yourself in new directions. For example, you can start by closing your eyes and visualizing the negative thought. Let it slowly dissolve until it disappears completely.

• Turn a negative thought into a constructive thought: If you find yourself thinking that you’re not suited to joining a group that interests you, turn this thought into a positive one by saying, “I am an interesting person and I have a lot to offer and share.” This affirmation is true! You might want to come up with three or more replacement thoughts.

• Acknowledge that everyone is unique: Everybody experiences high and low points in life. But even if we cannot change external circumstances, we can change our perceptions and attitudes. A happy attitude will always serve you well. “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” —Abraham Lincoln

Engage with Others

• Smile: One of the easiest ways to compel yourself into socializing is to smile. Smiling can instantly make you feel more positive. It also draws other people to you.

• Use welcoming body language: If you are at a social gathering, be aware of your body language. Does it signal that you are approachable? Make eye contact with people, give them a small wave or a nod, and look in front of you instead of at your feet or at the floor. When you look happy and ready to talk, people are more likely to come up to you.

• Put your phone away: If you look busy, people won’t want to interrupt you. Your body language should say that you are ready to interact.

• Be genuine: Whether you are talking to an old friend or somebody you have just met, show genuine interest in the conversation. Being fully engaged shows that you are compassionate and makes for more stimulating and fulfilling interactions with others.

• Keep conversations balanced: Ask people questions about themselves. Show that you care by asking others to share.

• Be open-minded: The old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is relevant here. Someone you’re ambivalent about could end up being your best friend. Give yourself a chance to get to know others. What interests might you share?

Expand Your Social Circle

• Offer invitations: As you reach out to others, others will be more likely to reciprocate and reach out to you. Ask classmates to join you for coffee or lunch at the Student Center or to study at the Learning Commons.

• Accept more invitations: Granted, there are only so many hours in the day for socializing. But if you’re in the habit of turning down invitations, try to make a point to accept some—even if the invitation is to attend something out of your comfort zone. You might even want to make a habit of arbitrarily saying yes three times for every one time you say no.

• Join a club or group with like-minded people: Making new friends and expanding one’s social network can be accomplished by joining a club or group. You may even want to consider joining a group focused on something different from what you’re used to.

• Meet mutual friends: Meeting friends of friends is one of the easiest ways to meet new people. Try to view every person you meet in your life as a doorway into a new social circle.

• Look for unique opportunities to be social: This can be as simple as starting a conversation with a checkout clerk—”Hey, how’s your day going?”—instead of remaining quiet.

All in all, make your social life one of your top priorities. Everyone needs some alone time, too, but it’s important to stay connected. Keeping those connections alive contributes to healthy interdependence and personal success.

What are opportunities for involvement at Aims Community College?

There are quite a few options for getting involved at Aims.  You can attend a workshop/event,  join a program and/or have a leadership position on campus.

Events, Workshops & Gatherings on Campus

• "The Toilet Paper" or https://www.aims.edu/departments/sail/toilet-paper

  • This weekly newsletter is hung in the restrooms on campuses to provide "News for People on the Go."  It can also be accessed online.  This is a great resource to know what is going on each week and for reminders (e.g. drop/withdrawal deadlines, course registration beginning, etc.) 

• Events at Aims or https://events.aims.edu/

  • This website is a great way to find out about events each week at Aims.  Many are open to the community and great opportunities to bring family, friends and loved ones to campus with you. 

Student Life

https://www.aims.edu/departments/student-life 

This office offers support and growth experiences through a variety of educational, social and multicultural activities. Below are highlights of opportunities:

• Workshops, events, and gatherings hosted through the year. Click here to see the events calendar. 

• Student Government Association (SGA) (Paid Positions)

• Campus Activities Programming Board (CAP) (Paid Positions)

• Alternative Breaks (Opportunity for community service during breaks from school with a group of Aims students)

Clubs & Organizations

https://www.aims.edu/student-life/clubs-organizations 

Aims offers a variety of Student Clubs and Organizations for all interests. See the list below of example clubs.  

The MOSAIC

https://www.aims.edu/departments/multicultural-office-student-affinity-inclusion-community 

• Workshops, events, and gatherings hosted through the year. *Scroll on the website to see upcoming ones.

• MOSAIC Peer Specialists (Paid Positions)

• Affinity Groups (Individuals linked by shared interest, purpose, or identity and offer support to one another)

• Seeds Leadership Program (This is an opportunity for BIPOC, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented student populations on campus to develop strategies for leadership that centers diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as foundational practices leading to stronger communities. Leadership is no defined by one's own accomplishments or decision-making power but by the positive impact of one's own actions, attitudes, and commitment to others.) Click here to view the application. 

How to brainstorm your potential social support network?

"A strong support network consists of more than just one person, and has a variety of supporters offering different kinds of support." - www.studentsagainstdepression.org.