There are expectations when you go to college, expectations of what it will be like. We hope that the large price tag means the experience is much different than that of high school (because once you’re out of high school you really only go back if you have to), but how different is college, actually?
Recently, Christine MacDonald, a professor of educational and school psychology at Indiana State University wrote an article on bullying after high school. “We got into looking at college students because there are studies on elementary, junior high, high school and the workplace. There’s nothing on colleges,” MacDonald said in a news release. “[Bullying] doesn’t just stop when they turn 18.”
Her research found that 15 percent of students say they have been bullied in college, while 22 percent reported being cyber bullied.
I thought college was an all-accepting place, where there was no bullying and everyone was welcomed as they were; obviously MacDonald’s research found otherwise.
So, if bullying was still around, I wanted to know in what ways it presented itself, and how bullying at the collegiate level differed from other environments.
As a true 21st century young adult, I turned to our favorite social media website to gather the opinions of my peers.
I asked: College students, weigh in on this please, do you think bullying exists in college? If so, how, and in what ways? How is it different from bullying in previous school years?
Freshman communications major, Lauren Platt gave her opinion on the subject, “Because of the environment of a college campus, I feel that bullying is not as great an issue as it is in high school and middle school.” She went on to say, “There are so many people on a college campus that everyone has a friend. Everyone has somewhere to fit in and they never stand-alone.” Many people who shared their opinions, agreed with Lauren’s point.
Colleges and universities are generally larger than most high schools, drawing in a larger, more diverse student body than what most are used to. We are exposed to many more people on a daily basis, and depending on where you are, you won’t know many of those you encounter just walking around. This fact alone changes the bullying game.
“I think that in high school, you were all in the same building all day with the same people. This created an environment were people wanted to be on top and wanted to be the most popular in the school,” said freshman undecided major, Carly Schmidt.
“In college, you usually have a much bigger environment; you’re not as much of a tight-knit community as in high school. People aren’t as concerned with being popular.”
Being unconcerned with those around them is a defining difference between high school and collegiate bullying. The goal in college changes from being top dog, to fitting in. It is impossible to be liked (and in many cases even known) by everyone, so we focus our attention on being a part of a group that makes us happy.
Bullying occurs less on an individual basis, from one person to another, and more between groups.
Senior psychology and philosophy double major, and RA Taymy Caso said, “Members of a particular campus organization may bully people from an opposing organization.” Certain fraternities and sororities will dislike members from opposing houses just on the fact that they are from an opposing house. This kind of bullying is more likely than an individual attack on a single person that you would find in high school.
The focus there is finding, exposing and picking on the faults and differences of one person to the next. College bullying focuses less on the differences from one person to the next, but turns to a humiliation tactic. “Here in college we have this thing called peer pressure, or hazing, which are pretty much identical to what bullying is,” said senior performing arts major, Natalie Lopez.
“We have social media outlets to work with as well. Cyberbullying is one of the newest and most disturbing things that I have come across,” Lopez said. Lopez brings up a point that MacDonald’s research also found – Twenty-five percent of bullying that was reported occurred through social-networking sites. The newest form of bullying, cyberbullying, affects much more than just the collegiate audience, but the availability of these technologies to college students makes it the easiest way for it to happen.
Bullying continues to be a big issue with many recent suicides around the nation because of this; students will have to navigate through this form as well. But while bullying is still around, students agree that it is no longer the issue that it once was in high school.
Platt said that she hasn’t had much experience with bullying since coming to the University of Tampa, “I am sure it does exist, and if so it is something I definitely want to see end.”
Taylor Dean Whitcomb can be reached at taylor.whitcomb@spartans.ut.edu
Bullying is still existant in college. I was bullied in middle school for weight/etc., but it ended when I entered high school. Now in college, I found myself in a worse situation that middle school, I now do not have a safe haven to go home to after being bullied at school- It is the exact opposite. Now I live with the bullying; going to sleep and waking up with constant comments that are much worse than the comments made during middle school. It is worse without a safe haven and feel trapped here.
Lol u nerds were pathetic in school and university. And guess what-you’ll still be pathetic in life 😀
I was never bullied in my life-how did that happen, huh? Why da hell do you keep on being different-it’s all your fault for being a pussy
Try taking a class with mc donald! She teachers EPSY 221–a requirement I at Indiana state. She’s a fawking KHUNT! Her tests are canned, BS weekly quizzes and discussion boards. But worst of all is these group projects–individual paper, then a group paper & then rate Ur group members 3X50 points, but she knit pics every Fawking point until she has taken away half of the possible points since she’s an ugly Ginger KHUNT no1 will ever love. She’s a bully, doesn’t listen, & don’t question her, she will only bully & make it harder on you
i too was bullied in high school and now college is no different.get bullied by a senior from my football team who i was very close to before. i dont know how to react to.bullying anymore. i did stand up foryself in class 10th but now i dont know how to hamdle it anymore! i have been depressed over an year now. i just dont know what is to be done. i just want to be happy! i am losing myself trying to fit in.
I’m now at my 1st yr in college and experiences bullying. I can hear other students and even the school securities talking behind my back, they always say “hey,you PIG!” “fat girl!” “ur uniform is too small for u.ur body is too big for ur uniform” etc. obviousy it hurts me. its almost 2 wks. that I didn’t go to school (until now) my parents dont know about it yet coz I dont want to.I jst dnt know what to do.I wanna go to school but I jst push my self not to becoz I dnt wnna embarrassed again in front of many people.I hope sum1 cud help me.
I was bullied through every phase of my education – preschool, elementary, junior high, high school, and college. Your personality doesn’t change that radically (usually) so there will always be bullies out there who zero in on what makes you different from them. Even though there were times when I almost gave up, I realized I didn’t mind so much being different because it set me apart from my bullies.
Hi
I have been bullied in university, by professors, and also in a small class in university for the entire year. They tormented me, sexually harrased me and humiliated me in front of the whole class, because of my shyness and because I don’t have any friends. The class and teacher did not do anything to stop it, because they were both very nice to them, but to me they were terrible.
By not taking a stand against these bullies, the by-standers are bullies themselves, because they can only be on their side, or the victim’s side.
I’d been made fun of a lot in Elementary/High School, and I was always sensitive. Imagine my shock when I still got made fun of in College(UMass/Boston). An unsophisticated crowd was making fun of my peculiar accent behind my back, and this Blonde jock-y guy who knew me from a TV class came up to me and started mercilessly riding me, asking me about all these things he didn’t want to know so he could laugh about it later. And every time he saw me again it got worse. I’d actually TALKED to him the first time because I had no frame of reference for a GROWN MAN making fun of me. But it really hurt. Why was an ADULT doing this? Was he crazy? Why am I still the school weirdo? I didn’t throw tantrums! People laugh at me just for SHOWING UP? Someone later told me he was probably younger that I though he was. But I spent the whole summer hating myself and puzzling over what had been so funny. I also wondered if people from less affluent areas just keep bullying into adulthood(I was pretty naive socioeconomically).
Bullying is like a wound, would heal but it will never return to its original. If you suffered from bullying before, it is not impossible that you will not be bullied again and that’s the worst part so better prepare for what will happen in the future. I am a big fan of this one site called anationofmoms which is all about parenting and just Mommy life. I also just read this blog by them about a service called SafeKidZone that can protect my family. They said I could get 6 months free of that service by posting a comment on a forum. If you want in, check it out here: http://anationofmoms.com/2011/08/protect-your-family-giveaway.html