How College Works

Abstract

The central argument of the book is reflected perfectly in the closing sentence of the book's introduction: "What really matters in college is who meets whom, and when" (p. 16). Faculty who think they are at the centre of students' success at university, or a student affairs professional who has been developing a suite of skills workshops, will be equally dismayed at the authors' findings. What matters most to students transitioning to higher education is developing friendships. To those familiar with students, this should not be a surprise. However, the impact is the simplicity of the book's argument. Colleges are not simply about programs, but more importantly are a gathering of people. The authors assert that, "good people, brought together in the right ways, we suspect are both necessary and perhaps even sufficient to create a good college" (p. 5). Underlying the authors' argument is that integration into the community is crucial to students being retained by the university. The authors provide plenty of evidence from their project to show just how important relationships are to student success. Not surprisingly, belonging was closely linked to relationships on campus and to success. Chapter 5, "Belonging," uses Randall Collins's framework on emotionally bonded groups. The authors connect the experience at Hamilton College to the four points in the framework: (i) physical co-presence, (ii) shared focus of attention (e.g., a common book, cheering together at sports events, singing in a choir), (iii) ritualized common activities, and (iv) exclusivity. Perhaps the boldest outcome of the research is the finding that relationships are actually a requirement for learning. Also important to note is that not all student are looking for a career or marketable skills. The research findings indicate that friendships were the most frequently mentioned positive result of attending college. At higher education conferences, context often trumps almost anything. If you present a creative or innovative idea, it won't be long before someone says, "That won't work at my institution because we are small/big/urban/rural/rich/poor" and so forth. It would be too easy to say that what works at Hamilton College cannot work at my institution. Although this book is a case study of one small, elite liberal arts institution in the United States, and the authors acknowledge the limitations, I think [Chambliss] and [Christopher Takacs] have done a great job of focusing on very broad findings. I am not at all surprised by how important people, relationships, and friendships are in the success of a student at this college. I would argue these findings are likely to be true on my campus and yours, too.