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Effect of peer pressure on student academic progress
Effect of peer pressure on student academic progress
Challenges first years face in college
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Freshman year, the year of many first; the first time living away from home, the first time being away from friends, the first time a student has control of their own learning. Freshman year requires a lot of discipline, but a lot of students do not possess this trait. The factors that contribute to the success of first year college students are social support, comfort within the college environment, self control,responsibiliy and positive self concept.
Being a college student could be very stressful; many students feel pressure from their family and peers to do well. The struggles of college; in academic, social, and economical factors, would be much harder without a support system. Encouragement of family members is a very important factor in a first year college student. One reason is because individuals seek praise from their family members and friends. If these people encourage the student to do well in all their courses, and then express approval when he or she does excel, then more than likely this student will continue to do well. According to studies of Hackman & Dysinger, a familys expectation may be as significant as a student’s own. Many graduates note that their parents assumed that they would graduate rather than just hoping. Students of educated parents are more likely to be motivated in college because of their understanding and encouragement.
Involvement in college is another way to receive social support. According to Astin, A. W, living on campus is the most effective way to be involved, when college students stay on campus; he or she is surrounded by individuals seeking similar goals, which is to succeed through education. This is where students are most likely to meet their friends, find study partne...
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Works Cited
Astin, A. W. (1996). Involvement in learning revisited: Lessons we have learned. Journal of College Student Development, 37, 123-134
Commitment to College as a Factor in Student Attrition, J. Richard Hackman and Wendell S. Dysinger ,Sociology of EducationVol. 43, No. 3 (Summer, 1970), pp. 311-324
(article consists of 14 pages), Published by: American Sociological AssociationStable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2112069
The Color of Success: African-American College Student Outcomes at Predominantly White and Historically Black Public Colleges and Universities
Allen, Walter R
Harvard Educational Review; Feb 1992; 62, 1; ProQuest Psychology Journals,pg. 26
Antonio, A.L. (2004). The influence of friendship groups on intellectual self-confidence and educational aspirations in college. Journal of Higher Education 75(4), 446-471.
Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.
Some freshman students might lack the motivation to do well in school because they do further the lack of appropriate role models or mentors in the Academic environment. These difficulties can be tied to lack of support at home the parents might not be concerned about their child education, maybe the parent lacks the ability to guide through college, the parent might not process having not navigated it themselves. The parents might feel embarrassed that they don’t have any knowledge to help them
As I went through the research process for this paper I conducted many interviews with former classmates who are now either attending a four-year university or a local community college. The original intent was to find out their reasons for attending the institution they chose to attend. As I accumulated information I began to see a glaring trend in the relationship between the social group the individual was a member of and the college they ended up attending. This then drove me to further examine the influencing factors in these students’ social lives, in a hope of identifying the degree to which they are influenced by each other. Thus, the first part of the paper explores the community colleges of the surrounding area and the programs that they have to offer to students. Meanwhile, the second part of the paper is more of a sociological investigation into peer groups and the factors that lead kids into choosing their institution of higher education. I chose to focus on the institution that is the community college due to the fact that a large number of my former classmates are enrolled in community colleges.
Attending to the limitations of both sociological and economic theoretical approaches, researchers suggest college choice decisions are not explained by one theoretical approach alone, but are best understood by integrated approaches which incorporate aspects of human capital models with sociological constructs (Freeman, 1997; Paulsen, 2001; Paulsen and St. John, 2002; Perna, 2000, 2006; St. John and Asker, 2001). In this section, I describe dominant conceptualizations of college choice focusing on limitations for students of color at the point in which students make key decisions.
As previously stated, it appears there are persistant barriers present that hinder enrollment, retention, and rate of graduation for African Americans in higher education. It is imperative that educational concerns for African Americans are addressed at all levels, but it is particularly important at the post secondary stage. Higher levels of education are associated with both lower unemployment rates and a higher income. If...
College can be a scarce transition for individuals, especially for the ones who have lived at home their whole lives. While college is said to be one of the best experiences, there are negative factors that eventually add up. Students who live under their parents roofs or attend high school, usually have their day-to-days lives planned. A typical day in the life of a student may be going to school for eight hours, participating in an activity after school, coming home to a home-cooked meal, and going to bed. Where, college is the first year a student may experience more independence and a non-planned agenda. Most individuals know when going to college they’re going to miss the familiar feeling of their hometown, home-made meals, and their own
Many students struggle with college for various reasons, whether it is financial, academics, or personal. We may not fully understand why college students struggle the way they do; however, it does not mean help is unavailable. “Clearly, many of the benefits that accrue from a college education are explained by the knowledge, skills, and contacts that students gain from their time on campus and in the classroom (Brock 2)”. A certain degree of success in life can be related to the amount and quality of education which can also relate to income.
These first experiences may include living on your own without parent’s, being away from home, and having 100% freedom. All of these experiences correlate and essentially determine whether the student will succeed throughout their first year of college. Depending on some student’s background, they are better prepared for college rather than others. If a college bound student has siblings or parents that have went to college, it makes for a smoother transition than siblings or parents who did not go to college. This is because the parents or sibling can give insight and tips that helped them to succeed while they were at college. This helps prepare a student because they have an idea of what to expect. Freshman year in college is a critical year because it is when the college student faces the most adversity. In an article in the Huffington Post written by Brian Harke, I came across what he called the “Freshman Myth”. The freshman myth is when the student is overly confident about their abilities in school and college didn’t live up to what they expected. In the article Harke states, “According to the U.S. Census and American College Testing Program, an estimated 18 million students enrolled in college in 2008; nearly 34% dropped out in the first year because they were over confident, under-prepared and lacked realistic expectations about college.” (Harke). This statistic goes to show that
College students who have the opportunity to attend a university rather than a community college will find that the process of making friends is an easier one. Making friends while being in college has many factors strung a lot with it. Universities present a bigger opportunity of creating lasting friendships by providing more of a social life with dorm room living, greater social events and lounges for students to hangout at all through the day. The process of making a friend is a very unique one, and it does not come easy to everyone. In all reality, attending a university over a community college is the better approach when wanting to be socially active and meeting a variety of friends.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. (2006).Black Student College Graduation Rates Remain Low, But Modest Progress Begins to Show. Retrieved from: http://www.jbhe.com/features/50_blackstudent_gradrates.html
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2 ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
College is a new setting for most students, especially the ones no longer living at home. The transition can be easy and worry-free, or a challenging and stressful time. Brougham states, “Growth and change were often accompanied by the experience of stress. The cause of stress varies from person to person. Overall there can be similarities such as ’academics, social relationships, finances, daily hassles and family relationships’ (Brougham, 2009, pg 86). As student, academics is the reason why we are in school; we are aiming to get educated and to learn. Family relationships vary from student to student depending on how close the family is. My immediate family and extended family have such a close bond that when I am needed at home, I drop everything for them. Social relationships are smaller support systems individuals can count on. Finances all come down to economic status and a person’s unique financial aid package. Daily hassles range from what I should wear today to not having enough time in a day.
College is an exhilarating time, especially for the students at the University of Iowa. Young adults are finally out of the house and given the freedom to do whatever, whenever. They have the option of going to new places and staying out late, all without the need of parental consent. This is the time for discovering new interests, meeting new people, learning, and finding oneself. College may sound like the perfect place, however, not everyone is excited for this change. Many students struggle adapting to this new environment full of choices. Not only are they having to leave their families that they have lived with for the past eighteen years, but they are also having to leave behind their homes, pets, schools, and friends. To top it all
The biggest piece of advice I would give to an incoming student is “You get what you put in”. Now I say this because my first semester of college was an experience that I disliked. Something that I did wrong was, I only went to class then went home. At the time I felt it was best to give my education all of my attention. It was like this for five days a week from August to December. I began to question if college was for me, and if I even belonged anywhere. I felt alone, clueless, and unimportant to the campus. I wasn’t use to feeling like this I was always in extracurricular activities, meeting new people, having close relationships, and being employed. After my first semester, I had enough of feeling this way and knew I had to be the person