Summary: Lessons From My Year As A Freshman

In Chapter Seven: Lessons From My Year as a Freshman, Rebekah Nathan summarizes and answers questions on the knowledge she gained from becoming a freshman. The author begins the chapter with a cross-cultural conversation between professors and students. She discusses how professors are not aware of the students living conditions or the effort that goes into achieving a high GPA. Likewise, the students do not understand professor rank and advancement. Nathan also reflects on the time she spent as a student and gains a new perspective during course preparations. The writer continues the chapter with an analysis of student culture and conformity that she experienced during her field work. In the last section of the chapter, Nathan looks back

Nathan not only sees the conformity established in the clothes that the students wear, but also in the way the students think and act in a group setting. The author states that, “Despite our celebrated freedom to choose, we seem to choose the same things, and those “free” choices are badges of our belonging” (Nathan 143). Throughout childhood proceeding into adults, an individual is exposed to “peer groups” that shape the persons attitude and behavior. The textbook states, “Individuals must earn their acceptance with their peers by conforming to a given group’s norms, attitudes, speech patterns, and dress codes. When we conform to our peer group’s expectations, we are rewarded; if we do not conform, we may be ridiculed or even expelled from the group” (Kendall 79). During her research, Nathan discovered that if a person looked or acted different than the rest of the group, they were automatically discriminated against. Another connection that I made was in chapter twelve of the textbook. The author explains,“…University graduates with four-year degrees are more likely to find initial employment with firms where they stand a chance of being promoted to high-level management and executive positions” (Kendall 354). Nathan talks about the rise of student debt causing