My Freshman Year is the story of a professor re-entering college as a freshman to experience and understand student life on today’s campus. The book is organized into thematic chapters: Dorm life, Community and Diversity, American students through international eyes, Academics, and managing college. I really enjoyed the book. I don’t believe there is a ton of new insight if you work with or are around students regularly. However, the book provides important context for understanding student life. It can also serve as an important reality check of what college is really like for undergraduates. Overall, I found the book quite thought-provoking, spurring reflection on my job as an academic advisor.
Community and Diversity (or lack thereof)
Nathan’s observations and discussion of community are quite apt on many large campuses. Two quotes highlight the difficulty of creating a shared experience:
“It is hard to create community when the sheer number of options in college life generate a system in which no one is in the same place at the same time” (p. 38).
“(T)he university for an undergraduate was more accurately a world of self-selected people and events” (p. 54).
These quotes highlight an underappreciated aspect of college life, competing time demands. Colleges schedule a tremendous number of events, talks, courses, and sporting events at similar times. We expect (demand?) students to be involved on campus, but rarely consider how our scheduling helps (hinders?) such behavior. How often do units consult each other when planning events? How much of our depressed turnout is a function of our information silos? I, myself, tout the tremendous variety of clubs and organizations on campus. However, I rarely consider the negative aspects of variety. The plethora of choices can be overwhelming for students and hinder the creation of community. Students tend to self-select into what they are comfortable with, namely people and interests from the past. Thus, both community and diversity suffer.
Self-selection in friendships and groups based on what is comfortable and known impedes real diversity and learning as well. Today’s reality is one of segregation. Schools have returned to pre-Board v. Brown levels of inequality. Nathan highlights how this impedes interaction. She also reaffirms the role of ethnic-based clubs “as a needed respite from difference, a chance to rest comfortably with others who share similar experiences” (p. 63). Higher education must confront this divide beyond instituting a diversity general education requirement. We must find ways to stimulate meaningful interaction among students of different races, classes, etc.
My next post will deal with the purpose of college and creating institutional policies.
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