This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who writes on the topics of online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email: blauren99@gmail.com
It’s that time of year again. Whether you are a returning student or are new to the college life, fall is quickly approaching, and it’s important to gear yourself for another year of school. For those new to the college scene, you should know that the university environment is just as importantly about hitting the books as it is about developing the social animal in you that is inherent in all of us.
The best way to approach both these goals is to make full use of tools that are at your disposal. And that’s where social media comes in. Sure, many criticize the rising tide of Facebook, Twitter, and the like, but the fact still stands—as a college student, these tools are critical to making the most of your three to four years of higher education, whether you like it or not.
First, let’s cover the “hitting the books” bit, since that’s ostensibly what we are all here for in the first place. Many will say that there is an undeniable strength in numbers. And this is true of studying. Study groups will be one of your most powerful tools in getting the most out of your classes in an efficient manner. One way to do this through social media is to create a Wiki group and encourage others in your class to use it. The best part about wikis is that they’re easy to learn to use, and they enables everyone to take a leadership role in the discussion and learning process. For more info on how Wikis enhance collaborative learning, see this Educause article.
Social media is also an indispensable tool in developing your extra-curricular interests. Through Twitter and Facebook newsfeed, for example, you can stay abreast of issues that matter to you from an incredibly wide variety of sources. This can’t be said of newspapers or even news websites. If you read only the New York Times, for example, you won’t be encouraged to get other perspectives. Going through Facebook’s newsfeed, you can view news articles that others have posted, and you’d be surprised at the breadth of sources that others have found. Same goes for Twitter.
Aside from keeping up with current events, social media enables you to find like-minded groups of people who share your passion for an activity or cause. A prime example of this is the popular social website MeetUp.com. MeetUp enables you to find groups virtually anywhere who meet in person to participate in an activity together. Popular MeetUp groups get together to practice foreign languages, for example, or to organize events geared to a specific cause. If your university tends to be insular in its social and extra-curricular activities, then MeetUp is a great way to get to know the community at large better, beyond the confines of your school.
Lastly, if you want to have an enhanced social life, then social media is the way to go. While Facebook is by far the most popular way to organize a cohesive social life, there are other social media venues that you can check out, too. Just to give you an indication of how enmeshed social media is to an enjoyable collegiate social life, I knew a few people who refused to get a Facebook profile (or any other similar social media tool). These handful had a very small, limited group of friends, and more often than not, relied on those who did use social media tools to keep up with social functions going on throughout the year.
So, as you head off back to school, remember: Social media is not just a passing fad. It’s a serious group of tools that will doubtlessly enhance your college experience, if you use them carefully and knowledgeably. If you haven’t yet started, be sure to surf these tools and become acquainted with their logistics before the year starts. It’s still summer, and you probably don’t have much else going on. It’s best to prepare yourself now
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