Friends with academic benefits

This article studies college students, from a sociological perspective, using network theory analysis and qualitative work. The key findings:

Student’s social networks fall into three types: tight knitters, compartmentalizes and samplers.

Tight Knitters: all friends tend to know each other, and together form strong social support.

• In cases with high social capital / academic ambition, this lead to greater learning and more success.
• In cases with low social capital, it was distracting, and had the opposite effect.
• Behavior in group was contagious, for good or bad.

Compartmentalizes: students with two to four separate networks of friends.

• Often used different networks for different purposes, eg. Friends to go out with, others for sports, and a third for academics.
• The more different groups, the more effort to maintain them all.
• More groups also caused stress on identity
• Also acts as diverse set of support systems.
• Success followed from high capital in the given cluster

Sampler: not part of any group, but individual friends from many places, unconnected.

• Gives little social support, either for good or ill; remain isolated.
• Creates independent types, dependent on themselves for success
  • Question is if more success with either of other style
• Support often comes from other sources, such as family.
• Lack breadth and depth of closer knitters and adequate from compartmentalizes.

 

Her full book can be bought here: great read! https://www.amazon.com/Connecting-College-Friendship-Networks-Academic/dp/022640952X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528292911&sr=8-1&keywords=janice+mccabe

 

Sources:

http://qz.com/819754/ivy-league-research-says-there-are-three-types-of-social-friendships-people-make/