Looking back during my undergraduate years, there were a couple of things I wished that I did a little differently…one of which was getting more acquainted with my classmates. To give you a little context, I graduated from the University of Florida’s Communication Sciences and Disorders program in 2014. UF’s program is slightly unique because you apply to be accepted into the major the beginning of spring semester of sophomore year. Junior and senior year classes are specialized with almost all of them pertaining to audiology and/or speech-language pathology. Because the classes were specialized and limited to a certain number of students who were accepted into the major, I had more opportunities to become friends with my classmates. Alas, I failed to seek out friendships and didn’t really talk to many of the classmates I had, which resulted in missing out on group-studying opportunities. I realized later on in graduate school that (actual) group-studying could be incredibly effective and useful for actually learning the material. Needless to say, forming those relationships and connections are important!
Connections with classmates aren’t the only ones that are important. Building relationships with your teachers and professors is equally crucial. I was fortunate enough to have some of the same professors for multiple classes, which then helped me establish a better relationship with teachers. Recommendation letters are important for applying to graduate programs and job applications and to have a convincing letter of recommendation, it definitely helps to good connections with teachers, professors, and/or mentors.