 Does being away from home affect your education here at Bloomsburg University?

 Rebekah Nathan › Attends “AnyU” as an incoming freshman. › To learn about our college culture she uses ethnographic studies (moving into the dorms and observing other students)  “Student networks, like family relations, are ego based…Most students, I found, had established a network of two to six friends who formed their core university community. From the “native” point of view, they got together because “we like each other”” (Nathan, 2005, p. 56)  This shows that students are going to click with people that have similar interests, hobbies, beliefs, etc.

 Social Networking is a way for students to keep connected with friends and family from home  Texting is another big way people stay connected with others › Need a break from studying, people turn to facebook, twitter, or their cell phone to feel “connected”

 Does being away from home affect how you learn, study, and meet new people? › How has your life changed being on your own and away from home for the first time?

 There are many different ways to find out about a person. These ethnographic methods were what I choose to use: › Take pictures of students rooms › Ask them what they do on an average day, and how they manage their time at college. I also asked about what daily life was like for them in high school. › Interview a few students who were different from me and each other.

 This picture of a student’s room shows lots of pictures. They are scattered everywhere throughout the room. In one spot they formed the shape of a heart. She also used some of her favorite pictures to create the word “LOVE” on her wall. › I concluded that they are mostly at the foot of her bed and to the left of her bed, which suggests that these people mean a lot to her.  I also noticed that her room is fairly neat, which could mean she is very organized. I wondered if she was this organized at home?

 This picture however, is of a male’s room with many posters and pictures around the top. To my surprise, not one is a friend or family member. Does that suggest he doesn’t miss home, or the people there? By looking at the room, it seems as though he has created a home away from home. You can barley see the white walls, there is a big TV taking up a lot of space, and it appears to be very well organized. I found after interviewing him, that nearly every one of his interests/hobbies were displayed in these posters and pictures on his walls.

 Asking students to describe their typical day in high school and college helps to show how they used their time. With this student that I observed, you can tell that in college they learned they need to spend a lot more time studying. You have less time in classes, so that time should be to study. This student spends a lot more time studying now then they did in high school with could suggest that maybe being away from home can help you be more focused on school work. There wasn’t much that changed for this person in the activities that they were doing, but in High school they had track which took up 3 hours of their day. If you look at the statistics from college, it appears as though track was given up once he/she began to attend college. College Sleeping8 hours Studying6 hours Watching TV1.5 hours Work2.5 hours Eating1 hour On Computer3 hours Class2 hours Video Games1 hour High School Sleeping6 hours Studying.5 hours Watching TV1 hour Work3 hours Eating2 hours On Computer.5 hours Class6 hours Video games1 hour Track3 hours

 How did you study in high school compared to how you study now in college? › Student 1 : I didn’t study in high school and now I study for each class › Student 2: I didn’t have to study in high school and now in college I realize the subject matter is a lot more intense and that studying is definitely required.  Do you believe that being away from home effects your education? Explain. › Student 1: Yes, I believe if affects my education because I am more focused on school more than worrying about getting home on time for my parents. › Student 2: Yes, I have to be more self motivated at college and there is no one else to blame but me if I don’t do well. In high school mostly everyone, including me, had their parents to blame if they were to do badly on a test or project. It’s harder to get kicked out of high school then college so there is more pressure on yourself.  Both students say that being away from home will effect your education, and both feel that being on your own requires an extra amount of responsibility and self-motivation.

 The conclusion I came to from the people I have observed, is that being away from home does directly affect your education. › More study time › Having more responsibilities › Meeting new people and becoming independent

 Convery, C. (2011). Personal Page. Retrieved from adaptation11.wikispaces.com/Coleen+ Convery. February 13. adaptation11.wikispaces.com/Coleen+ Convery  Nathan, R. (2005). My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. New York: Penguin Group, Ltd.