Feeling Alone in a Campus Full of Students

I think many people have heard the saying, “I feel like I am alone in a room full of people.” Usually when someone says this, they mean that, regardless of how many others are around, they still feel alone. This is an experience that I think some MSU students, including me, can relate to every once in a while. Because of this, it is important for us to have peer-to-peer interactions, which can come in many ways. Today I will talk about two that can help you work together with other students to be successful!

Two Brains are Better Than One

How much do you think you know about something? How much more do you know than somebody else? Does another student know the same things as you? Questions like these are one reason working with other students is important. During our academic career, we are faced with boundless amounts of content, and sometimes it can be a lot for one person to handle. A good way to deal with this is studying with others. Studying with other students has multiple benefits including:

• Each person involved can share their own personal view on a subject.
• This can help others gain further understanding of a concept from seeing it in a new way.
• Teaching each other is one of the best ways to learn.
• The knowledge of multiple people overall makes everyone gain more extensive understanding of the subject being studied.

Picking regular times and places to study with others, staying after class to have brief discussions with other students and even group chats are all easy ways to make studying with other students happen. And each way will make every participant a better student over time. So, if you’re the kind of person who likes to make group chats for all your classes, keep it up!

It’s Hard to Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

As you may have experienced by now, college can be a very stressful time. In light of this stress, there’s nothing better than talking to someone else about what may be occupying your thoughts. Bottling up your stress can keep you up at night, mess with your diet, make you struggle to learn and affect you in other ways. However, a beautiful thing about MSU is that you will meet so many people, some who could become lifelong friends, some who may be in a similar situation and can understand your concerns. When you talk to friends or others about stressful situations, it can help with:

• Mental clarity
• Creating more capacity to focus on studying
• Relaxing
• Higher contentment
• Building good relationships

As a peer counselor/mentor, I can tell you that there is always someone around who will understand and relate to your situation. This is why you should never feel ashamed to be stressed or confused about something. It’s okay to share your concerns with others.

Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out

I hope this gives you a better idea of why it is so important to talk and work with others during your time as a student. Practice reaching out to others and forming those connections so you can work together to become even better students. Good luck!

(Bio: My name is Michael Rexroad, a transfer student from Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. I am a senior currently studying cell and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry.)