It seems as though everyone is wired for the latest breaking news via text message, Facebook, iPad, etc. So, today I’m going off our usual college planning path to share with you this interesting study that I found:
How much time do you spend every day on the computer, using social media (like Facebook and Twitter), and on your cell phone? Think you can forgo all of them for 24 hours? The thought of being disconnected to friends and family…well, it’s not a pretty one. The mere idea of it probably fills you with emotions resembling dread, horror, and disbelief, among others. I mean, you might as well be living in a cave if it comes to that. Even astronauts can email and text while in orbit. (I know they are close to the communication satellites—just go with it!)
A newly published study conducted by the University of Maryland actually found that students suffered from the same physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms as alcohol and drug addicts when they went without social media and their cell phones for 24 hours. Really!
I first read about this study in an excellent article published by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Researchers at the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda asked 200 students to give up all media communications for an entire 24 hours (gasp!) and then blog about their experience. In “24 Hours: Unplugged,” researchers reported that students displayed addiction-like withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, misery, and being jittery.
One student blogged the following: I started to feel isolated and lonely….By 2:00 pm I began to feel the urgent need to check my email, and even thought of a million ideas of why I had to. I felt like a person on a deserted island…. I noticed physically, that I began to fidget, as if I was addicted to my iPod and other media devices, and maybe I am.
Another student felt particularly disconnected from his social life: Texting and Facebook allow me to make plans to meet up and act socially, whereas without these two devices I had no easy way of making plans unless I happened to run into the person I wanted to do something with.
This person I could sympathize with, because I like to listen to music all day while I work: It was really hard for me to go without listening to my iPod during the day because it’s kind of my way to zone out of everything and everyone when I walk to class. It gets my mind right.
It should be noted that social/digital media addiction is not recognized as a medical or psychological addiction by “the powers that be.” I agree with ZDNet blogger Zack Whittaker, who was quoted in the Chronicle article, that social media enables socializing on a grand scale. We are social creatures; to be without our social network and feel like we’re missing out on whatever is going on is very discombobulating, isolating, and upsetting.
So, do you think you could go 24 hours media-free? What would you do with your time?
College campuses are full of fun facts and claims to fame. My personal favorite fact about my alma mater is the McDonald’s on campus is the only McDonald’s in the world to dispense Pepsi products, as the University of Maryland is serious about being a Pepsi-only school! While that is a pretty great claim to fame, how much cooler would it be if I could brag that my school was featured in a movie?!
Check out this list of universities featured in films WiseChoice just compiled. Now when you are touring these campuses, make sure to ask which bench Matt Damon sat on or which quad Reese Witherspoon walked across!
I spent my first two years of college at a smallish, private university with about 6,000 students, and my last two years at a large public university with around 30,000 students.* Were there differences? Of course, and most of the differences were related to the size and the resources of the school, not necessarily because one was private and one was public.
I graduated from my home state’s flagship university, University of Maryland, which meant I got to attend a great school at an in-state tuition price. It was significantly less expensive than the private university I transferred from— a total benefit of having a well-funded and impressive public school in your own state. But don’t be fooled into thinking that all public universities are inexpensive. Often the cost of tuition for in-state residents is discounted through government funding, but out-of-state students could find themselves paying just as much as they would at a private college.
Some people think that attending a private university is more prestigious than going to a state school. The truth is, a good school is a good school, and a degree from a good school always carries prestige. I am equally as impressed by my friends who graduated from New York University as I am of those who graduated from the University of Virginia because they are both excellent schools. (Do you know which of those is private?!)
And by the way, what makes a school excellent is more than just its ranking. Good schools have students that are dedicated to the institution, the faculty, and the student body. Students should attend a school that makes them feel comfortable, where they are able to thrive and succeed with equally happy and driven peers. And this is exactly WiseChoice’s mission—to find your “best-fit” colleges that will result in a successful and rewarding experience. Just like a good pair of jeans or a good car, good schools should not be judged on brand name alone. A good brand is worth a lot less without a comfortable fit and the ability to achieve maximum performance.
You have a million criteria to consider when looking for a good school: location, size, course offerings, types of students, cost, activities, etc. These are far more important than if the school is public or private. Toss out the preconceived notions and focus on picking the school that is the right fit for you. Blanket statements like, “I will not attend a public school,” are as ridiculous as choosing your school solely on its team colors!
*I should note that I attended a private, religious-based school and although religion was a part of the campus, it was not the focus. I found that my public university had just as much of an opportunity to get involved with religious groups and actually, several religious groups had a larger presence on campus than the main denomination did at my private school.
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