My first year of college was marked with all of the activities my ultra-conservative parents would disown me for and very little studying. By my third year, however, things turned around completely: I assimilated into productive student organizations (the Daily Bruin was one) and easily obtained straight As. The Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights that were once devoted to debauchery were trimmed to “if I have time” nights.
This transition was induced only when I sought new, academically oriented friends.
It’s simple: If your friends aren’t successful in school, chances are you won’t be either. And the multitude of my college experiences compels only my sane agreement.
A July 2009 study done by Scott E. Carrell, Richard L. Fullerton and James E. West, published in the Journal of Labor Economics, explains the ostensibly easy change by showing your grades will be subject to the mercy of your primary social network, for better or for worse.
So frankly, my parents’ theory is an axiom. And as you embrace the freedom, chaos and festivity of UCLA with all of the moxie only novelty can induce (first-years) and as you embark upon another opportunity-filled year (student body), select your cohorts prudently.
Colonel Fullerton, vice dean of the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy, infers the relationship may stem from inherently cultivating similar study habits as your friends.
“Instead of going out with your friends partying, you spend more time with them in the library,” Fullerton said.
West, an economics professor at the United States Air Force Academy, said that in a follow-up study he conducted to the one from July 2009, students self-segregated into varying echelons of academic ability: Low ability students exclusively socialized with other low ability students, while high ability students consorted with each other.
Studies show our friends not only impact our academics but also our weight, mood and the probability we dabble in “risky” antics.
We are traumatically and intriguingly exposed to the latter conducts in health class: S.A.D. That’s the acronym my middle-school teacher used to convey the dangers of sexuality, alcohol and drugs.
Therefore, in all likelihood, your very friends are a reflection of the person you are and will become. But what if your associates aren’t the people whose mannerisms and aspirations you want to emulate?
I do embrace the ease of befriending diversity in college, which, if taken advantage of, endows one with empathy to differences.
And I’m not preaching discrimination against those who are less academically motivated.
Still, it is imperative to have a criterion when determining whom to invest your time in and with: Will your friends support your wildest academic and professional endeavors and aspirations? Are they qualified to compete with you and, therefore, push you to become more proficient at the tasks you undertake?
Success is contagious. Trimming negative assets from your life and socializing with the creme de la creme among the achievement-oriented is paramount to attaining eclat.