Cornell Robin son
Literature and Society
02/14/11
Problem
College can be assumed to be one of the biggest growing experiences one can go threw
in life. Learning things such as time for the gym, time for school work, and time for just your
average social life, are all evident coping skills needed to survive the life of a college student.
How do college students feel about time management when referring to the balance of school
and a social life? In this paper, I provide background from the study of college culture: Nathan’s
(2005) My Freshman Year. Then I investigate first the meaning of a social life on the campus of
Bloomsburg University. This can be done by researching dorm life, what type of decorations
people have in their room to occupy their time. Also by the places people go campus and their
interactions they experience within certain places public to the campus. Last but not least, I
provided information I have collected while interviewing varies people who exist on the campus
of Bloomsburg. This information can be used to draw a conclusion about time management
skills residents of the college acquire as they develop through college.
Background
While being enrolled in Literature and Society class, I had the chance to read about a
case study done by an author by the name of Rebekah Nathan. The reading is about an
anthropology professor who disguises herself as an ordinary student who not only attends the
university but also resigns on campus as well.
Through Nathan’s readings one can observe the development of a social life and how
students develop time management. From the reading it is clear that social life on a campus is
far greater when classes are not a factor. For example, Nathan observed that, "The start of
classes brought a whole new slate of contacts and relationships, and it also ushered in a new
set of daily responsibilities and realities” (Nathan, 2005 p. 31). In the beginning of this
semester, Nathan takes note of all the social activity that takes place throughout the dorms and
the programs RA’s implement for the residents. She describes how that there were many social
activities such as movie & game nights that people had attended before classes had started,
and that there were tons of social interactions between students on the campus. Towards the
end of this passage the reader can view that the college social life had taken a reformation due
to the start of class, homework and the regularization of a schedule. Social life for not only the
student, but the author as well was now being reshaped and a sense of time management had
to be developed.
What about the atmosphere of Bloomsburg University? Are the students of this campus
finding it difficult to manage time for a social life, as well as time for their studies?
Method
To help answer these questions, I first define the meaning of a social life and time
management on the campus of Bloomsburg University. I first take pictures from varies dorms to
investigate the types of activities students are involved with. I then look at public interactions at
the local dinning places located on campus such as the commons and huskies. Last but not least
I interview students on how they spend their daily day and when they make time for social
interaction.
Findings
(Shout, 2011)
To the left is a picture I took of a student’s dorm room. In this picture you can identify
books on this person bed, as well as an open book on their desk. The atmosphere of this room
seems to be work oriented. This picture to me suggests that this person does a lot of their work
in their room. Also this person has pictures of friends on the wall exhibiting a social life.
To the right is another dorm room picture. In this room you can view a television, computer,
and Xbox games. This suggests to me that this person social life might not be as large for they
seem to be a gamer.
(Robinson, 2011)
Next, I began to explore dinning life on campus and where residents go and why. I
began first by sitting in the Husky dinning area and observing it for 30 minutes. I notice that the
husky attracted a lot of people in a rush to just get food and get out. There were a couple small
groups entering together having interactions but for the most part the husky did not seem like
a place where social interactions were big. On the other hand, when I observed the commons
interactions were at its peek. For the most part everyone enter the Commons in groups. People
sat down to eat and talk to their friends for about an hour at least. I can draw from this the
conclusion that people tend to go to the commons to maintain a socail life and catch up with
one another while there.
Finally I interviewed people on how they spend their time throughout the day and when
do they incorporate a social live in their schedule. One person said “I spend time with my
friends during the afternoon or when most of my classes end, around dinner time. From that
time on, I'm open to relax with my friends” (Carson, 2011). This to me indicates that this person
has developed a sense of time management for her classes as well as social life. When ask does
their schedule paly a factor in the places they can go with their friends, this person said “yes! I
consider the most convenient place to get lunch with my friends”(Evans, 2011). This suggests to
me that flexibility is also a factor in having a social life.
Conclusion
Based on all the information that I have collected it is clear that time management is an
essential skill to learn at Bloomsburg University. It seems to me that many of the students here
try to incorporate many of their friends into their schedule by going to eat at the commons. It is
also evident that a social life is very hard to maintain on this campus and that is why many
people tend to wait till the weekend for their social life or later on in the night. For the most it
seems that students are good at balancing a social life with the rest of their work. They are able
to arrange times where they are able to hang out with friends and also do their work. It can be
assumed that while college you not only grow in years, but also in gaining such skills as time
management and social connections also.
References
Carson, A. (2011) Personal page. Retrived from http://sherryadaptation11.wikispaces.com/Alaina+Carson February 16
Stout, J. (2011) Personal page Retrived from http://sherryadaptation11.wikispaces.com/Joseph+Short February 16
Robinson, C. (2011) Personal page, Retrieved from http://sherryadaptation11.wikispaces.com/Cornell+Robinson February 16
Nathan, R. (2005). My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. New
York: Penguin Group, Ltd.