Connecting in College - by Janice M McCabe (Paperback)

About the Book

Many college students rely on their friends for more than just having fun. But surprisingly, we know very little about what college students friendships look like, or how they might benefit from these friendships, socially and academically, in the short and long term. At a time when only four out of ten students graduate from four-year colleges within four years, understanding friendships may help better assist students and institutions in drawing on friends benefits and avoiding their pitfalls. In this book, sociologist Janice McCabe explores how friendship networks matter for college students lives both during and after college. In doing so, she identifies different types of friendship networksfor instance, the extent to which young people have tight cohesive friendship groups, or move effortlessly through different social circlesand how these networks are associated with social and academic success for students from different race, gender, and class backgrounds. The benefits of friendship are not the same for all friends, and these benefits also are not the same for all students; McCabe finds instead that friendship network type influences how friends matter for students academic and social successes and failures."

Book Synopsis

We all know that good study habits, supportive parents, and engaged instructors are all keys to getting good grades in college. But as Janice M. McCabe shows in this illuminating study, there is one crucial factor determining a student's academic success that most of us tend to overlook: who they hang out with. Surveying a range of different kinds of college friendships, Connecting in College details the fascinatingly complex ways students' social and academic lives intertwine and how students attempt to balance the two in their pursuit of straight As, good times, or both.

As McCabe and the students she talks to show, the friendships we forge in college are deeply meaningful, more meaningful than we often give them credit for. They can also vary widely. Some students have only one tight-knit group, others move between several, and still others seem to meet someone new every day. Some students separate their social and academic lives, while others rely on friendships to help them do better in their coursework. McCabe explores how these dynamics lead to different outcomes and how they both influence and are influenced by larger factors such as social and racial inequality. She then looks toward the future and how college friendships affect early adulthood, ultimately drawing her findings into a set of concrete solutions to improve student experiences and better guarantee success in college and beyond.

Review Quotes

"Campuses eager to improve undergraduate persistence and retention as well as reduce racial disparities in degree completion would benefit from Janice M. McCabe's study of friendship and college success. . . . [Connecting in College] explores the importance and impact of friendship networks both during and after college and finds that friendships can enhance student connections to academic institutions and present opportunities for greater learning and achievement."-- "American Journal of Sociology"

"This book, based on extensive research, tackles the eminently important topic of how students' networks, formed via friendships during their time at university, impact their academic success while at university, and, moreover, how these networks impact students' social success during the period at university, as well as beyond that. Working through issues of class, race and gender, the book not only explores what types of friendship networks are happening on university campuses, but also looks at who is forming which type of network and, most importantly, the impact that this network--the type of network, and the friendships that comprise it--has on students' social and academic lives. Written in clear prose, the book will be of interest to specialists and non-specialists alike. This clear prose should not be confused for simplicity, as the book covers serious ground in the field."-- "British Journal of Educational Studies"

About the Author

Janice M. McCabe is assistant professor of sociology at Dartmouth College.