A Letter
One commonality between all interviews and research is that highlighting of the importance of maintaining ties with family and old friends. Contact with familiarity is critical for support in a new environment. A letter however is not the first way of making contact one would think of in the 21st century. So why in college does letter writing become more frequent?
Today instant contact by phones or video is the norm, while a letter is more rare. The excited feeling one gets when receiving a letter is different than the feeling from getting a phone call. A letter may even seemed old fashioned; however I think it possesses a more personal quality than a phone call. When writing a letter, the author is taking more time to write down a message. The extra time may make the author more thoughtful.
A letter is a good artifact for college transition because from my experience they are used more often in college to contact family and friends. Like reaching back to a familiar environment, a letter is reaching back in time. In addition the more time consuming nature of writing, compared to calling, gives one time consider what one wants to communicate better. This pause in schedule gives the writer time to reflect on their current situation. A letter provides the format to identify changes within ones activities, interests, and therefore self. Changes in self-identity are a hallmark of first year college transition. As Dean Kraus spoke freshman deal with new social, academic, and environmental experiences. Those collide into a year of personal change.
Letters let a college student not only realize these changes, but more importantly communicate them to family and friends. Maintaining contact increases stability for this mighty transition. For Tessa this one of her major realizations for the year, the importance of keeping communications to family and friends about her current state, she recognized it was paramount to a successful year of change, and Tessa uses letters :)
Today instant contact by phones or video is the norm, while a letter is more rare. The excited feeling one gets when receiving a letter is different than the feeling from getting a phone call. A letter may even seemed old fashioned; however I think it possesses a more personal quality than a phone call. When writing a letter, the author is taking more time to write down a message. The extra time may make the author more thoughtful.
A letter is a good artifact for college transition because from my experience they are used more often in college to contact family and friends. Like reaching back to a familiar environment, a letter is reaching back in time. In addition the more time consuming nature of writing, compared to calling, gives one time consider what one wants to communicate better. This pause in schedule gives the writer time to reflect on their current situation. A letter provides the format to identify changes within ones activities, interests, and therefore self. Changes in self-identity are a hallmark of first year college transition. As Dean Kraus spoke freshman deal with new social, academic, and environmental experiences. Those collide into a year of personal change.
Letters let a college student not only realize these changes, but more importantly communicate them to family and friends. Maintaining contact increases stability for this mighty transition. For Tessa this one of her major realizations for the year, the importance of keeping communications to family and friends about her current state, she recognized it was paramount to a successful year of change, and Tessa uses letters :)