Healthy EI contributes to overall academic success, positive professional and romantic relationships, and overall career development and satisfaction. EI skills can be enhanced in a first-year seminar. In one study conducted in Australia and another conducted separately in the United States, researchers found that college students enrolled in a first-year seminar who demonstrated good EI skills were more likely to do better in college than students who did not exhibit those skills.

You can get by in college without strong EI, but you might miss out on the full range and depth of competencies and skills that can help you succeed in your chosen field and have a fulfilling and meaningful life.