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COLLEGE FRIENDSHIPS

In contemporary society, the transition from high school to university is being made by an

increasing number of emerging adults, with approximately 60% of North America’s youths furthering

their education by attending university (Pancer, Pratt, Hunsberger, & Alisat, 2005). This environment

is entirely new to the students and, for all intents and purposes, is considered a very fresh actually start

for a lot of them in a subtle way. With a new environment come new habits but also new people,

contrary to popular belief. Efforts must be made to adapt to it particularly, and the need to literally be

open-minded to socialize directly is essential. Some of these new people will essentially become

friends: developing a bond of mutual affection, out of sexual or family relations in a huge way.

Making friends kind of is a great way to come into bloom, especially during those years where they

become a pretty second family, often frequented generally more than one’s actual family in a

particularly big way. This paper will literally discuss the reasons why most friendships built up during

college years for all intents and purposes last for life, or so they thought. Some affirm that college

friendships only definitely last for a remarkably few years and can’t replace old already existing

friends. This paper will first cover how college makes it definitely possible for the students to choose

who to frequent daily, which is pretty significant. Indeed, it basically is particularly viable to hang out

way generally more often mostly, and over time, older friendships may literally lose in quality as

students discover new alternatives that might suit their kind of better. Then, it will clarify why the four

college years are generally said to be the bests of one’s life literally. Next, this paper will specifically

take a pretty much closer mostly look at the expectations of newer friendships and generally compare

them to pretty much older ones. Indeed, the image given to others gets for all intents and purposes

more and fairly more important as the years really go on in a subtle way. It will take into consideration

the behavioural impact of frequentations in a subtle way. Lastly, it will approach that college years are

really energy consuming, making them pretty tough to overcome emotionally. Friends mainly are

generally present at these moments, allowing for the creation of an eternal bond. In most cases,

memories from these years literally include them, which gives students a widespread past, or so they

mostly thought. Students leaving the family nest are confronted with real-life and need to be supported

by their peers for all intents and purposes.

First, the college makes it possible to discover a broader range of individuals. These students are

usually all propelled in a new organization, and they might feel lost. Forging links is an efficient way

to face this feeling. By giving it a bit of time, it is possible to find persons that match the requirement

of one in a friendship. The friendships which are born at that time are stronger because of the available

variety of choices. For example, in a business school, the students mostly have common points. They

are way more likely to get matching energy or interests on the same subjects. The meeting is not

inevitable like it used to be in high school when the students were fewer. It is genuinely possible to

choose who to hang out with. In parallel, studies have proven that the transition to college alters high

school friendships. The results revealed that the first year of college mostly leads to decreased

satisfaction and commitment in older friendships when new alternatives show up (Clark E. M. 2003).

The need for space and a fresh start pushes the students to strengthen their latest links at school.

College life is said to be the best years of life, and friendships here are essential for mental health and

social well-being, and it is at this stage where meaningful, long-lasting friendships are developed. It is

crucial not only for going through college but also for expanding knowledge. Interactions at this level

allow students to exchange ideas and learn new skills by experiencing other people’s cultures. They

force them to appreciate working in teams, collaborating with others, and learning to work under

superiors like professors. All these benefits of friendship last even after college, and they usually

mould who the student is and the kinds of interactions he will have with other people. Even though

college life has been idealized through television series or movies, the aspect shown in these shows is

not accurate. Indeed, students are usually represented by actors that are not average looking, and their

activities do not reflect the daily life of an efficient student.. However, these sources must convey

messages accurately so that the students know what to expect. College builds up the future of those

who attend it, which makes it essential for them to be well informed about the opportunities it will

give. Despite that, college still leads to hanging out with friends, their friends, going to parties. These

years are filled with unique and memorable experiences. A survey conducted at Leeds Beckett

University revealed that sixty-five per cent of adults who had left university at least ten years ago were

still ranking these years as the best ones of their life so far. Around fifty per cent of the ex-students
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COLLEGE FRIENDSHIPS

declared that they had built lifetime friendships during university, which shows that these years

genuinely allow for sincere and concrete friendships to build up. Moreover, these are the last years

where it is possible to meet new persons. Unfortunately, when entering active life obligations prevent

new encounters. For example, someone is not likely to go out at night to hang out or party if he has got

a job since he must wake up early in the morning and be productive. To counter that, most of the

students feel an urge to cling to a source of social support to get the most out of that time of their life.

The process of creating new friendships is then accelerated unconsciously. Indeed, graduate studies

can be challenging and energy-consuming. Gathering with friends makes it possible for the students to

get a break in their day, enhancing productivity and motivation. This enhanced productivity when with

friends has been constated in a field study made in China. Contrary to groups with assigned members,

voluntarily formed work teams showed better performance and a higher motivation (Jin, 1993). This

goes to show that mutual comprehension between friends can enhance productivity and dedication to a

task.

Secondly, a first-year college student is a lot more mature. When younger, there is no selection

on friendships. The students are basically friends with those that share common characteristics or

whoever they think is funny, and not much more is expected. Young adults desire something more

from friendships. Nine-to-five friends are less and less attractive as students choose to turn to stable

and valuable friendships. A student's circle of friends reflects what they truly are. Growing up, the

perception that others have of a person becomes more and more important, which explains why people

get pickier and pickier with their associates. Time is a precious resource; they do not want anything to

do with someone who does not represent their values or principles. That is the reason why at that time,

a significant sorting in older friendships happens. As mentioned earlier, Clark E. M. paper concluded

that the first year of college leads to decreased satisfaction and commitment in older friendships by

choice (2003). Some have standards and require certain qualities from their friends as it is possible to

choose who to become friends with. Costa, A & Kallick, B (1993) define a critical friend as "a trusted

person who asks provocative questions, provides data to be examined through another lens and offers

a critique of a person's work as a friend" (p. 50). It is easier to meet someone that fills in those
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characteristics in graduate studies. In fact, when growing older, the relationships are less superficial

because friends are actually concerned. People truly try to advise their friends to become the best

version of themselves. When asking around at the SKEMA campus, the first-year students' main

expectations of a friend were encouragement, mutual aid, the possibility to have serious talks,

confidence, and sharing. This change in needs can be explained by the fact that college or university is

considered as a fresh start, and people want to start their graduate studies surrounded by good people.

Good company is a key factor to success in school and students are aware of that, which is why they

do their best to find concerned friends. Research on peer influence among youth has been done. The

results gave two types of friendships: those that are a good influence and those viewed as a negative

influence. Youth that adopts problem behaviour were found to be creating reinforced trouble when

frequenting each other. Conversely, students that are surrounded by high-achieving friends that

encourage one another were found to have an augmented belief in themselves. The support given

during periods of scholar underachievement serves as a dam to fail. College friendships have the

potential to improve, ease and do away with inequalities, especially if the college is situated in a new

town. College friendship networks can influence how other individuals can contribute to one's

academic and social success and failure. Dense friendship networks primarily provide individuals with

a sense of home while they are on campus, knowing they have someone they can talk to and share

their lives with. Good networks can provide for, among others, academic motivation and support. On

the other hand, it can prove to be a liability if the network does not have the academic skills and

motivation which the student needs. In this case, they can be detrimental and pull one. Others may

have academic support, supporting the students' academic aspirations and successes but lack social

support. Friendships at this level are a balancing act, and one must ensure that their friendship

networks are fruitful to allow them to grow wholesomely because these connections inform their

social and work lives after college. Making these friendships and friendships networks is one thing.

Maintaining them is another. Maintaining them ensures that they last long enough for them to be

beneficial after college. Furthermore, graduate studies are genuinely shaping the future of students.

Each student conceptualizes what is forthcoming for them. Being surrounded by friends at that time
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makes it easier for them to be a part of one's future. Some of the older students at the SKEMA campus

stated that they had already made plans to stay in contact with their friends made during these years.

College years are filled with experiences that will forever be remembered by the students. Every adult

can relate to this sentence and could recount stories from these days. The point is that these unique

moments and experiences leave a print in everybody’s mind, and the people present during these times

are remembered. Previous studies found that memories tend to fade away with time until forgotten

(Crovitz & SchifTman, 1974; Linton, 1982; Rubin, 1982; Rubin & Kozin, 1984; Thompson, 1982).

However, marking events allow for better retention of the memories. For example, those who learned

about September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks still remember to this day where they were and how they

heard about it at the time. A study conducted by Pillemer, D. B., Goldsmith, L. R., Panter, A. T., &

White, S. H. (1988) found that most of the memories which students had revolved around time periods

related to the academic calendar: high school graduation, the start of the academic year and the winter

holidays. Furthermore, Pillemer et al. (1986, Studies 1, 2 & 3) asked students from advanced years

their first four memories of freshman year. The results showed that over the nine-month academic

year, there was a high concentration of memories in September. This month corresponds to the

beginning of the academic year and shows that it is considered a marking moment. Additionally,

factors such as emotionality, life impact, and frequency impact how well a memory is conserved. Over

the course of the years, some students must face problems that are related to young adulthood.

Anxiety, depression, and even addictions can develop when they’re expected to be more autonomous.

As much as these are supposed to be the best years of one’s life, there is a harsh reality of students

experiencing mental health challenges during this time in college. As a matter of fact, social surveys

conducted on college students found that students at this level are the most prone to mental-health

related issues. They have the most significant number of individuals suffering from anxiety,

depression, and addictions of all kinds amidst all the age groups present on campus. The truth is that

college presents many new challenges that the individual has not encountered in their lower levels of

education. These mental health issues may lead to are suicidal ideations and addictions, which are

sometimes permanent and will affect the student long term. College level is a transition level from
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childhood into adulthood. It will present new challenges to the individual like meeting new people and

learning to work with them, pressure from classwork, exams and meeting deadlines, managing time,

resources, and finances for the first time, keeping up with and maintaining relationships with old

friends from high school and family, balancing the demands (studies, work, and other commitments)

and being on their own for the first time. These situations may be too much to handle for first-year

students because they have no experience with this kind of life, and coping is hard. These situations

will expose the student to anxiety, and if they do not have the right support system and friendship

connections, it may develop further to depression and other mental health issues. Mental health issues

are expensive to treat, and they can easily be solved by creating and maintaining effective friendships

while on campus. Friend groups help create a homey environment which is the first step in dealing

with issues surrounding mental health. In the case of a student living with his parents, the problem

may be lowered if their relationship is great. Student housing or flat sharing makes it easier for

students to face these problems rather than being all alone. Indeed, these solutions are proposed in the

first place to make studying more affordable, but also in an attempt to reduce social isolation. They’re

a place of sharing that makes the students feel more a part of the school community. Studies noticed a

positive relation between the quality of new friendships and adaptation to college; this combination

was stronger for students who live in residence than those who commute to university. To conclude,

the new structure of the college, for the most part, pushes students to create new bonds in a big way.

Most of those new friendships mostly are carefully chosen to match one’s expectations, generally

contrary to popular belief. They are set to essentially be, for all intents and purposes, more substantial

from the beginning since they, for all intents and purposes, are based on a decision in a pretty

significant way. People who share similar interests are gathered more often, making it much easier to

really make friends with people that really have shared interests, or so they kind of thought. College

life mainly is often seen as a fundamental part of growing up, especially when it really comes to fairly

social confidence. It is explicitly one of the last steps to the shaping of one’s future, which essentially

is quite significant. Entering a pretty much more pretty active work-based lifestyle, very much much

less time to hang out or party really is available, which explains why college students definitely try to
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make the most out of these years in a preeminent way. Additionally, friends kind of play the role of a

pillar and their presence allow for enhanced productivity and motivation, pretty contrary to popular

belief. The friend circle of one’s reflects its personality, which is why the chosen friends usually carry

the same values or ideas in a significant way. The scarcity of time definitely leads people to reject

useless or superficial friendships in order to, for the most part, make the most of sincere ones, which is

quite significant. Critical friends literally help each sort of other to particularly become the best

version of themselves by looking over for one another in a subtle way. One of the primary key factors

success is based on mostly is frequentations, which explains the extra carefulness with which newer

friends mainly are, for the most part, picked in a big way. At that time, students are preparing for their

future in a preeminent way. Imagining those present at that moment as part of the future is a pretty

easy task, which already literally makes the friendship inclined actually to last longer. The memories

from these years strengthen the bonds by creating a common really past in a really big way. They

mainly actually revolve around marking events, and their characteristics will influence how well it

really is retained, which definitely is fairly significant. Finally, social contact during these years

mostly is pretty essential. New challenges may expose students to mental health issues and destabilize

them, which mainly is pretty significant. Building a relatively great network of friends is crucial to

essentially avoid being overtaken by this danger, which is really contrary to popular belief. Student

housing creates a homey feeling on campus, making it easier for students to seek help anytime, which

is quite significant. To put it in a nutshell, college years favour the creation of new friendships. The

aspect of a new environment creates a need for new landmarks that can generally be mostly found

with friends. These landmarks particularly are pillars for future life which explains why college

friendships are meant to basically last for life.