Being a college junior or senior means that your college career is coming to a close soon and plans to move on will have to be made. By the time you reach this point in your college career, there is a good chance you will have learned a lot about yourself, your skills set and may hold leadership roles in some of your extra curricular activities. If you take time to teach the freshmen and the sophomores you interact with a little of what you know, it can pay off in the long run and develop trust.
By taking a few moments to help out a college freshmen or sophomore with a common interest, you can not only build trust with that person but also develop a friendship as well. It really can mean a lot to someone if you take a few moments of your time to help them with a project, give a few pointers on getting an internship or taking a few minutes to help here and there.
During my freshman and sophomore years at Otterbein, the upperclassmen who stood out in a good way to me were the ones who took time to help others. It meant a lot to me that someone who was close to the end of his or her college career took time to talk, give me some pointers and I ended up developing some great friendships as a result of this kindness.
For example, when I was a freshman at Otterbein, a became really good friends with the girl who was the General Manager of the campus television station because she took time to sit and talk with me and learn more about what I wanted to do and get out of the program. This girl didn't have to talk to me at all but it meant a lot to me when she did and we had no trouble having a conversation. She helped give me some pointers on writing news stories, how to get involved with the station and the advice helped set the path for my college career. I am still friends with this girl as a result of her kindness and it meant a lot to me that she took the time to care.
A year later, I became one of the Assistant Promotions Directors for the campus radio station, WOBN-FM and had similar guidance from some of the juniors and seniors who worked at the station. The girl who was the webmaster took time to teach me how to develop promotional ideas for the station, I learned a lot from the General Manager by how she took time to interact with the other freshmen and sophomores at the station and it meant a lot when these two and a few of the other upperclassmen took time to share their knowledge with me. It showed me they cared, proved to me they wanted someone else to succeed and I am still friends with these people as a result. I will never forget the kindness they showed and took that with me for the rest of my college career.
As you are reaching the end of your college career, take time to help out others who are still learning the ropes. Taking time to show someone who is a freshman or sophomore something you learned along the way to help his or her college career will help you develop trust with these people and develop friendships. If you have gained the knowledge, don't be afraid to share it with someone who can benefit from it.
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