Dana Zupanovich Lucka: How to make the most of campus life

Sitting in the stands at Fresno State’s new student convocation last week, I was flooded with memories of my own “first day” on campus. What a wonderful, warm welcome.

The excitement of dreams becoming reality, new adventures and bold new horizons filled the air. The whole “pep rally” feel made me almost want to sign up for another degree – note “almost.” Amid the pompoms, hot dogs and speeches was a call to action from the university president, Joseph Castro, encouraging all students to “Join a club – maybe two.” When it comes to student success, success in life and general happiness, this is smart advice. Smart advice for everyone!

In recent collaborative research with the University of Kansas and the University of Queensland in Australia, studies showed consistently that children, teens and adults who belong to many groups, whatever their nature, had higher self-esteem. The study compared group memberships to the number of friends people had, and learned that having a large network of friends did not predict self-esteem, but belonging to multiple groups did. Think of this as the shared experience rather than the massive group of “friends” in social media.

Further, groups provide benefits that interpersonal ties alone do not; more specifically, purpose, meaning, sense of belonging, connection, and a feeling of control over our lives in a world that often seems to be spinning out of control. Purpose in and of itself is the pathway to greater well-being and success. As Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

I look back on my own college experiences: my Vintage Days team, Delta Gamma sorority and, most recently, the three years chained to cohort six in the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program at Fresno State. While there were moments that were 100 percent social, with no obvious redeeming value, those social connections buoyed me in the rough seas and made me laugh when I accidentally deleted four hours of statistical analysis from professor Susan Tracz’s computer!

The Harvard Business Review noted that the connections to clubs and groups promotes a positive mindset known as the “happiness advantage,” which allows students to weather the stressors of college life and sets them on a course for long-term success as alumni, when professional ups and downs can be tackled with grace, tenacity and resilience.

The happiness advantage can be developed with training (no crunches or lunges required!). Training consists of five activities that get us out of ourselves and include making a gratitude list, positively engaging with members of your social group, meditating, exercising and journaling positive experiences. Of these five activities, the most effective may be engaging positively with your social support network.

Research by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy Smith and Bradley Layton shows that high levels of social support predict longevity as reliably as regular exercise does, and low social support is as damaging as high blood pressure! Those clubs keep you happy and physically healthy. In a study of 1,648 students at Harvard, researchers found that social support was the greatest predictor of happiness during periods of high stress, and we all know that there is a little bit of stress while in college!

The correlation between happiness and social support was a massive .71, which is huge when you consider the correlation between smoking and cancer is .37. Given the positive benefits from helping others, joining a service club or organization has an added bonus.

The best advice is to get out of your solo existence and connect with others in a meaningful and personal way, join a club and help others. You’ll be healthier for the experience. For our Fresno State students, who snapped the paw pins to their collars on that Friday afternoon and recited the new student pledge, the words “Bulldog for Life” laid a foundation for a lifetime of connection and engagement, one that will make them successful, healthier and happier for many more years to come.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Dana Zupanovich Lucka: How to make the most of campus life."