Have you ever seen a sign advertising a club or meet-up and thought, “I’m not really a social person?” While many people may not actively seek out socializing opportunities, the importance of joining different groups and attending a variety of events while in school can’t be overlooked.
Most colleges include a department or division whose purpose is to enhance campus experiences. It may deploy media to encourage students to form groups, attend activities and figure out how to be involved during their time in college. At Kirkwood, this falls under the duties of the Student Services staff, but it also is a responsibility students should take upon themselves.
There are a number of needs served by attending various social opportunities. In the global sense, humans are hardwired to be social. We form communities because survival is easier with a group approach. On the individual level, a network of supportive people improves mental health.
In between, we have a range of needs for the skills involved in meeting people and maintaining social relationships, from professional networking to collaboration and problem-solving within a family. This skillset is not automatically acquired for many people. The good news is, the more we take opportunities to socialize, the better we get at it.
Socializing needs to be prioritized during college because as we age, we encounter fewer spaces designed specifically to expand social networks. People who do not have a sense of community or the ability to develop a multi-level network to assist with life’s challenges struggle with isolation.
Socializing doesn’t look the same for everyone. It is important for each person to discover how much and what types they enjoy. This is impossible if we only do what we’ve always been accustomed to. Moving outside of our typical comfort zones is, itself, an important social move. It helps to consider that, while we may not like everything a group has to offer, joining groups and allowing ourselves to figure out their dynamics and our place within them is never a waste of time.
Even if we don’t always love groups, we should remember that groups are made up of individuals, some of whom might be exactly what our lives need right now and others who might stick around for the rest of our lives.
Use the time and unique opportunities being a college student allows to socialize. No one says, “I really hate having all these friends” or “Man, if only I had fewer places to hang out.” Generally, people suffer more later in life from loneliness than from inclusion in groups and a variety of interests.
Go to a board game group, attend or audition for a play, or sit down with new classmates and find out what you have in common. These are starting points. Once you’re in, do the work of being present until it starts to feel less like work.
Categories: Opinion, Staff Editorials
