Establishing and Maintaining Establishing and Maintaining Relationships in CollegeRelationships in College

Your TurnYour Turn

At this point in your life, what are your three most important relationships? Write about each of these three people and what makes them special to you.

Building Relationships with College Building Relationships with College InstructorsInstructors

• What your instructors expect from you• Come to class, do the work, listen and participate

• What you can expect from your instructors• Grade you fairly and provide meaningful feedback on

papers and exams

• Making the most of the learning relationship• Make an appointment with your professor early in the term

• Also important for letters of reference when applying to

graduate school

• When things go wrong between you and an

instructor• Ask for a meeting to discuss the problem

• If the instructor refuses, go up the administrative ladder

Your TurnYour Turn

Before you came to college, what had you heard about college professors? Write about what others told you and whether you have found those opinions to be accurate or inaccurate.

Friendships in and beyond Friendships in and beyond CollegeCollege

• Roommates

• Important to establish your mutual rights and

responsibilities in writing

• Talk out problems promptly

• If things get really bad and do not improve, insist on a

change

• Social networking

• Helps you keep connected to your friends from high

school and college

• Can help you become more engaged in your campus life

• Can also help you learn more about your instructors

• But can become addicting and interfere with your

academic success and well-being

Your TurnYour Turn

Have you met someone online whom you consider interesting? If so, describe that person. If not, describe what kind of person you would like to meet online and why.

Getting Serious with Getting Serious with RelationshipsRelationships

• Breaking up

• Do it cleanly and calmly and explain your feelings

• Let time pass and be open to emotional support from

friends and family

• If necessary, visit a college counselor or a chaplain

• Relationships you should avoid

• Never wise to become romantically involved with your

professor or someone who works above or for you

• Dating coworkers is also risky

Your TurnYour Turn

On the basis of your experience or the experience of someone close to you, what advice would you give other students who are dealing with breakups?

Family ConnectionsFamily Connections• Marriage and parenting during college

• Can marriage and parenting coexist with being a

college student?

• Important to carve out time for your partner and

family as carefully as you schedule your work and

your classes

• Relationships with your parents

• Will never be quite the same as it was before

• Don’t let them make all your decisions

• Be aware of their concerns

• Remember that parents generally mean well

Your TurnYour Turn

How is your family reacting to your college experience? Are they supportive, fearful, meddling, remote? If there are problems, how are you handling them?

Getting InvolvedGetting Involved

• To Greek or not to Greek?• Can be a rich source of friends and support

• Can be too demanding of time and finances

• Can be too exclusive

• Working• On-campus jobs can help develop relationships

with instructors and administrators

• Community service• Consider helping at an animal shelter, serving the

homeless, or helping build homes for needy

families

Your TurnYour Turn

Have you already become involved in campus organizations? If so, what kinds of involvement have you experienced? If you haven’t become involved, what club or organization most interests you? Explain why.

Tech Tip: Maintain Some Tech Tip: Maintain Some MysteryMystery

How to protect yourself from predators and losing

potential jobs

• Don’t overshare, especially in the digital age

• Companies and graduate schools are likely to look you up

online

• The best way to manage your image online is to be

proactive and aware

• Make sure your privacy settings on Facebook are up to

par

• Protect your virtual reputation

• Free services like kgb can dig up every mention of you

online