Research has proven that many people in the modern age are depressed due to lacking a “third place.” The two most common environments people encounter on a daily basis are their homes and their workplace. Socially, people can relax at their homes whereas at their workplace they’re expected to act a certain way – professional and dedicated to their job. A “third place” (also known as a “third space”) is defined as a spot where people with common experiences and interests can go to unwind and escape the monotonous nature of their domestic and work lives. This article gives more insight into what it is. Popular examples include bars, clubs, parks, and gyms. A third place can be looked at as a “home away from home.” It’s not a physical copy of your house, but the community and relationships make you feel emotionally attached to it.
Higher education combines both worlds. Students have the opportunity to dorm and while they’re here, they go to class, can attend seminars, and do more “grown-up” things. There are still opportunities for them to keep them entertained such as going out to parties, being part of clubs, essentially finding any way to have fun. Colleges and universities, including Pace, function as home and professional work environments in this sense as spaces are designed to function as office settings, labs, hospitals, and more work environments, depending on one’s major.
Most people, including myself, dorm on campus and are here for most of the fall and spring semesters. However, Pace is a commuter and “suitcase” school, so part of the campus doesn’t know what that feeling is like. The latter means some students relatively close to campus pay money to dorm, which they do during the week, then go home on weekends (including Fridays), for various reasons (i.e. work, convenience, etc.).
Pace has a reputation for being uneventful and quiet during the weekends as detailed in this article. This can take away from the living experience as in most cases, adults work and don’t have the opportunity to spend time with their family members they grew up with, such as their parents and siblings. Students take advantage of this opportunity, still visiting their loved ones whenever possible despite the time management issues that come with their commitments on campus.
I’ve noticed when it comes to “adulting” there’s multiple factors at play instead of balancing certain duties such as tracking your finances and getting chores completed. In the workplace, “office politics” take effect wherein workers will sabotage each other in an organization which can negatively affect all levels. This arises out of jealousy and a sense of superiority by the ones causing the issue.
Office politics can be present in college too. Students get involved with commitments such as clubs, professional organizations, and places of employment. They deal with other people and superiors at these places whose goals don’t align with theirs and/or have different opinions on sensitive subjects.
It is unique at college because students live and interact with others on a daily basis, on a personal or professional level, sometimes a combination of the two. People who have different majors, personalities, and interests all live within a reasonable distance of each other within and across dorm buildings. Post-grad life, people who are very different can all live in a common area (i.e. apartment building) but some of the sense of community is lost as people have more responsibilities.
It’s a unique experience being a college student in the sense of the socialization that comes with it. We keep being told we’re not kids anymore but not quite adults either, but at the end of the day – we’re students. We’re students learning material related to our major but how to navigate the social complexities that come with adult life, inside and outside of a workplace. College is a stepping stone for how real life operates and students get a solid foundation here, even if the journey’s not perfect.