Throughout the daily course of one’s life, he or she enacts distinct social roles in order to effectively communicate with others. Whether talking to a parent, a boss, or just a friend, one partakes in the act of code-switching, formally defined as changing from one variety of language, dialect, or behavior to another as the situation demands (Lavenda & Schultz 2016, 33). However, these episodes of code-switching can be influenced by many factors that may affect one’s ability to do so. I interviewed three first-year college students who currently attend the University of Iowa (all whose real names I have kept anonymous and replaced with fake ones) that I have met through both high school and attending the university: Adrian, a male from a small high school of about 450 students; Kate, a female from a larger high school of about 1,900 students; and Peter, a male also from a small high school of about 300 students. Through elaborate interviews with these four informative participants, I have discovered that it tends to be more difficult for students from smaller high schools to transition to a substantially sizable university than it is for students from larger high schools. Through an abundance of clubs a well as broader student bodies being provided at bigger high schools, it may be easier for students of a Class 4A school to adapt to their surroundings than it is for a student of a Class 3A or 2A school, where they may have slimmer alternatives in friend groups, student
Moro uses an appeal to emotion through the usage of pathos to acknowledge those who are still seeking to be in their comfort zone. While her perspective is different, she begins the article by recognizing the significance of cultural clubs for students. This acknowledgment is crucial because it shows that Moro does understand the point of view of the desire students might have to maintain their heritage and not feel disconnected when they are away at college. For instance, she says, “Minority student programs help students stay connected with their culture in college and help ease first-year minority students’ transition into the college environment” (Moro 271). By appealing to emotion, Moro highlights the anxiety that first-year college students may feel during the transition and how cultural clubs provide a supportive community with peers who share similar backgrounds.
In “Community and Diversity”, Rebekah Nathan explores the sense of “community” that universities try to force onto students with social events and activities. From her observations, she implies that students seem to dissociate themselves from these activities which minimizes their opportunities to socialize with new people. She argues that inspite of the attempts colleges make in
John does not socialize with his classmates but he will communicate academically with one student. The seating arrangement was modified to allow these two students to sit adjacent to each other. These changes could foster social communication for John.
In the article, “Learning How to Code Switch: Humbling, but Necessary,” I learned that I can relate to Eric Deggans to my own experience. When growing up I had to code switch, an example when I was in elementary and I was in Bilingual classes from Kindergarten to Third Grade. Then when fourth Grade hit my school wanted to switch me to an English class not a Bilingual classes anymore. My mom that day had a lot of thought about it and she said it was fine that the school suggested that, so I switched. The change was different because I couldn’t speak Spanish in my 4th grade English class anymore and I had to code switch to just speaking English to the rest of my classmates. And when I saw my Last 3rd grade bilingual class moving to 4th grade
The story begins with a Navajo boy, Kii Yazhi, who is told by his family that he must go to the U.S. Government boarding school. His grandfather wants him to learn more English so that he can be more like the white man. When he arrives at the school they shave off all of his hair, take away his native clothing, and give him an American name, Ned Bengay. He is told that he must never speak his Navajo language again.
Adam Gorlick in “ Got an hour? Boost your grades. Stanford psychologists design 60-minute exercise that raises GPAs of minority student” talks about the transition from high school to college and the difficulties many students face. In his article Adam Gorlick brings up various questions many freshman ask for example, will they fit in but also brings up the issue of being a minority in a new college campus. He later goes on to talk about how these situations during the transition to college are situations that everyone goes through.
Making friends on U.S. campuses could be challenging for those who are an international students. It’s not easy to make friends with American students because they tend to be independent and keep distance from others. In Rebekah Nathan’s book “My Freshman Year”, Nathan claims that social life and developing friendships on U.S. campuses is difficult for international students because American students would make them feel uncomfortable and invisible at times. Nathan’s argues that American students don’t put any effort in talking to students from different race, ethnic, and background. International students are usually on their own or be with their friends since Americans wouldn’t make friends with them. In nathan’s book, she discusses about the
“Students who successfully adapt, establish social relationships with Whites, adjust to Black-White cultural differences, and cope with college
One undergrad student who is now a senior, Cassandra Skinner, tells how her choice to attend an HBCU was difficult due to the misconception that these types of schools were “ghetto” or “ratchet”. But after her first semester, and being on the cheerleader squad, she realized that this is where she belonged, with “her
As a transfer student from Pasadena City College, I struggled to adapt to the fast paced quarter system in my first year at Cal Poly Pomona. Lacking of confidence in my communication skill, I did not try to get involved on campus because of my sense of insecurity and the fear of getting embarrassed. However, after spending two quarters and having a comprehensive knowledge of the available resources on campus, I decided that it was the time for me to push my boundaries and to challenge myself to get involved on campus as much as I could to train my soft skills.
High School culture has changed since the “old days.” Students from all grades are not only striving for academic success, but also participate in many extracurricular activities as outside forces continue to impact social life. With this comes the typical struggles of students figuring out who they are, and what kind of person they want to become as college becomes a daunting factor.
In these dorms, the initial interactions that socially code us throughout college are initiated. These social interactions create and solidify bonds between students that can continue for the rest of their lives. A change to the demographics of the freshman dorms doesn’t just create an immediate effect, but also affects every current and future resident of UC Davis. A freshmen social group that is initially less diverse will lead to a less diverse group of friends throughout the remaining years of their undergraduate studies. This reduces their social group to a less diverse group of individuals, which reduces the chance for them to interact with other cultures and overcome any form of culture shock that they are affected by, whether it be here in UC Davis or later in their careers. Freshmen dorms are the only place that nurtures cultural interaction to create a UC Davis community that is ultimately more unified, accepting, and respectful of all people and their different cultures.
“Why fit in when you can stand out?” You have been told this your whole life. But whose responsibility is it to find out where you fit in, yours? Or your peers? Your adolescent years are all about trying to not stand out, and trying just as hard to fit in with the “in crowd.” You use more energy trying to “fit in,” instead of just spending all your energy on being who you really are. A group of friends are suppose to have things in common, but that is hard when everyone is putting up a fake persona. It is the student body’s responsibility to make sure that everyone has a place they can fit in and be themselves. People spend their whole lives trying to “fit in,” while the people who “stand out” are the ones who become something. Think
I went to three different school during elementary through high school and I would have to adapt everytime. I learn the significance difference of perspective despite the relatively close distance of each school. However, despite the relatively close distance, the students were differ from each schools. Each school interact and socialize differently. The fact that it is different, I constantly adjust the way I interact and it has enable me to be socially adjust myself in most social environment. Being in different schools also encourage me to be socially engage, making new friends whenever I moved, which led me to accustomed the habit to be more initiative. Consequently, I tend to reach out to others, rather than being
This results in few friends and international students tending to isolate themselves or keeping to a group of the same language. Depression comes into effect for those that cannot find peers of the same language. Therefore being forced to have very or no friend which leads to loneliness and depression. The barrier between international students and English speaking students create obstacles that impede the building of interpersonal relationships with fellow students. International students not fluent with the English language experience difficulties that students who are fluent do not. They difficulties include needing extra time to read assigned reading, difficulties understanding class lectures and discussions, and difficulties communicating concerns and view points (Tam. K, Donghyuck. L, & Huang. L, 2007) International students tend to disconnect from their previous social life and find new connections to develop new social Support networks in their new host country (Tam. K, Donghyuck. L, & Huang. L, 2007). Pedersen (1991), point out that a loss of social support as an impact on the psychological well-being of an international student. The unpleasant experience of forming new support networks in host country leads to feeling of disappointment and discontent. Overtime, these feeling lead to social isolation (Mallinckrodt and Leong 1992).