In this chapter you learned about the importance of a social support network — people within and outside of college who can provide emotional support, practical help, guidance, and encouragement. Think about people within your college who support you — classmates, teammates, faculty members, an academic adviser, a coach, a residence hall leader, or peers you’ve connected with in a study group or campus organization. Outside of college, you may also find support in friends, family members, roommates/housemates, neighbors, a romantic partner, a boss/supervisor, a mentor, a church leader, or those you meet through a volunteer organization or community group.
Building and maintaining connections with people in your social support network requires you to apply many of the skills you’ve learned in this book such as listening, nonverbal communication, emotional intelligence, assertiveness, and time management. Let’s start creating your social support network.
First, in the text box that follows, create a list of three people who support you within college and three people who support you outside of college. (If you can think of more people, add them to your list. If you can’t think of that many people, don’t worry, we’ll work on that.) Next to each person, list the type of support they provide you. For example, an instructor might provide you with practical help and guidance to succeed in their class; a close friend might listen to your challenges and provide emotional support and encouragement.
Now, reflect on your support needs. What is one thing that will help you do each the following?
For each support need above, describe who could help you and how you will go about getting the help you need. For example, maybe it would be helpful to speak to a professor who teaches a class associated with your major or career, or maybe it would be helpful to join an exercise class at a gym and make a new friend who could support you in your fitness goals. It’s okay if you don’t have a specific person in mind. Maybe you need to do some research on your college website to find an appropriate person, office, or student organization. Or maybe you need to do some research in your community or your workplace to see what resources are available to help you get your needs met. Then, engage in your plan to add new people to your social support network!