Josue Orellana

Professor Jennifer Rodrick

English 115

15 October 2017

College: A Keystone Space in the Development of Identity

For many people, school is the first space in which we start to develop ourselves in terms

of our own identity and grasp the implications of social and cultural norms. For those that decide

to go to college, this time in a person's life is one of the most influential. Not only does it mark

the beginning of the adult stage of life for many people but it also exposes them to a whole new

community of learning and helps them develop a new social circle. It's not only the next step for

many young adults, it is a community that greatly affects a students identity. Studies conducted

by John Foubert, Flor Kagar, Ernest Pascarella and others help draw correlations between the

development of identity and different aspects of college. I believe that college is a space that

positively forms students identities by giving them ways to express themselves,through clubs

and organizations, helps introduce them to critical thinking through studies and further develops

social skills, which are all important for establishing an identity.

College is a community of students that allows for pupils to express themselves through

the different clubs and organizations their college has to offer. Students have the ability to join

clubs and organizations which are communities that are significant to their sense of identity.

These clubs are for peoples with faiths or for people with interest in a recreational hobby or for

minorities who want to join together. Organization as well provide communities for different

types of people who share a goal. All these groups provides a place for people to come together

and build upon their sense of identity, allowing themselves to physiologically develop. A study
done at a midsized public university gathered data from students over the course of four years,

tracking their progress from freshman to senior. The aim of the study was to see if any

relationship arose between joining clubs and psychosocial growth. The study found that

involvement in student organizations has a strong association with psychosocial development,

particularly on students establishing and clarifying purpose, educational involvement, career

planning, life management, and cultural participation (Foubert and Grainger 180). This study

found a strong correlation between being in organization and the development of identity

through forming purpose and life goals. The study shows that clubs and organizations create an

environment what fostered the expansion of identity. By being in a club a student is more likely

to find their purpose and identity compared to a student who does not participate in a club.

Additionally, it is evident that students who are involved in clubs and organizations during their

college experience are also those who demonstrate higher levels of development in many areas

(Foubert and Grainger 180). Involvement in a club assists in the improvement of the long term

well being of a person. Overall, given any college there will be hundreds of clubs and

organizations which are small communities that help develop students identities. It isn't

necessarily the physical boundaries of the school that binds these small communities but instead

the sense of identity formed by the communities themselves.

College also positively affects peoples identities by helping students to develop critical

thinking skills which are an important aspect of developing a good sense of identity. College is a

place where students are treated like an adult and expected to think at a higher level. They are

expected to learn how to critically think. Critical thinking is an active process in which a person

intellectually analyzes and reflects upon information in order to form logical and rational

conclusions and from this create actions. Critical thinking occurs in all types of setting at a
college, from logically deciding how to approach a complicated math problem to critiquing a

work of art with examples and reasoning. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill and important

for the growth of identity. A study done at the Islamic Azad University shows how critical

thinking would shape students identity and general mental health. A random selection of students

from a school in Tehran were put in a critical thinking session and given multiple tests to see any

difference in critical thinking skills would happen. Their findings showed that creative and

critical thinking skills teaching in students can increase informational identity style, commitment

of identity, and general health (Kargar et al. 467). Furthermore, [the] results of the study

indicate that after the thinking skills teaching program, the students in the experimental group

had an increase in informational identity style and commitment of identity, while had a decrease

in diffuse/avoidance identity style (Kagar et al. 468). Their results showed that students with

critical thinking skills had better cognitive abilities and better mental health, which overall lead

to a better state of identity. With critical thinking skills students are able to express their ideas

and reasoning. Students can form a more developed and nuanced sense of identity through

development of critical thinking skills in school. College specifically has shown to develop

critical thinking skills better than any other occupation in a young adult's life. A study from the

University of Illinois shows that that the freshman year of college significantly enhances the

critical thinking of individuals over and above the gains which could be typically expected had

these same individuals decided not to attend college the first year after high school graduation

(Pascarella 16) and that college has a discernible, positive influence on the development of

critical thinking (Pascarella 16). Through these two studies we can draw the connection that

college leads to development of critical thinking skills which leads to a better developed sense of

identity.
 College is a space in which students also advance their social skills and gain valuable

experiences in networking and being a well rounded person, which ultimately help create a better

identity. Students are put into a new environment that has a lot of potential to increase their

ability to have a social life and fulfill any generally communal wants that they might have. A

persons social life is a solid part of their identity. Who a person can identify with and what

people they interact with shape their tastes, wants and needs. Therefore developing a proper

circle of acquaintances and friends is needed to support social health. College is one of the best

places to build new friendships and relationships. Not only are you put physically into a new area

but you are surrounded by hundreds of potential people who you can form a connection with.

Networking is also another important consequence of identity. When you form new

relationships with people, these people may lead you to new opportunities. For example, a

professor might introduce you to an internship program you would have never known without

them. A friend could also tell you advice about your field of study and make your life much

easier. These are illustrations of how useful networking can be and networking is possible by

branching out social life. Social skills can greatly improve an aspect of a person's identity and

therefore help develop their life.

Ultimately college is a close knit community of people, students and faculty alike, where

both can greatly benefit from the unique space created by a center of learning. Although no two

colleges are alike they all share the goal of helping people learn and develop a better self, and

a better identity. Colleges provide one of the best locations to join organizations that help drive

passion for activities and movements even further. They also are one of the best places to

develop critical thinking skills which are important in all aspects of life. Colleges also a hub for

social gatherings which provide people a place to develop their social skills. If you are currently
 attending college I urge them to take advantage of everything your college has to offer. Join

clubs and organizations, take classes that will challenge your mind and thinking, and socialize

within your campus. College is both a community and a experience so enjoy it as much as you

can.

Works Cited

Foubert, John D. and Lauren U. Grainger. Effects of Involvement in Clubs and Organizations on the

Psychosocial Development of First-Year and Senior College Students NASPA Journal, vol.43,

no. 1, Jan. 2006, p.180, ResearchGate, doi: 10.2202/1949-6605.1576. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

Kargar, Flor R., et al. Effect of Creative and Critical Thinking Skills Teaching on Identity Styles and

General Health in Adolescents Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 84, 9 July

2013, pp. 467-468, ScienceDirect, doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.585. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

Pascarella, Ernest T. The Development of Critical Thinking: Does College Make a Difference?

Journal of College Student Development, 21 Nov. 1989, p. 16, PsycInfo,

files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED292417.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct. 2017.