Anomie and the First Day of School

By Karen Sternheimer

Do you remember your first day starting at a new school? A new job? For some of you these memories might be as fresh as a few weeks ago. For me, it’s been a while. But no matter how long it has been since you first entered an institution with set rules, norms, and expectations, the memory of the anxiety is probably still with you.

Each year I volunteer to participate in some of my university’s orientation activities before the school year officially begins. And every year I notice students have similar questions--about the work load compared with high school, what taking exams and writing papers are like at the college level, and what happens if you come to class late. Transfer students will often ask what the differences might be between the school they came from and our university.

Basically, all of these questions boil down to one: what are the unwritten rules here? 

The incoming students know the university’s written policies (or at least are told what they are or where to find them) but tend to be curious about the informal rules. What do people wear to class? Can we eat during class? Should I have a separate notebook for my labs and lectures? How much reading will there be? Are professors friendly? Will anyone care about me?

When students ask me these questions, I try my best to answer them, although I’m sure it is frustrating when most of my answers start with “that depends, every professor and every class is different.” I assure them that within a week or two they will feel like they are veterans here.

But their anxiety is not unfounded. It is similar to what Emile Durkheim termed anomie, literally translated, a sense of normlessness. For Durkheim, societies that have competing norms or a total absence of norms experience more crime, instability, and a lack of cohesion.

Most of the students I encounter aren’t worried that a lack of knowledge of norms will lead to crime and deviance on campus. Rather, they struggle to learn exactly what the norms are so they can conform. On the first day of class, like most other professors, I hand out a syllabus and go over the rules, regulations, and expectations for the course. After a few days of attending classes and living on campus, the same students who were so nervous become confident that at the very least they are learning the norms and expectations of life as a college student.

By contrast, students who refuse to adapt to these norms tend to struggle. Maybe they find less social acceptance if they dress very differently from most other students (on our campus the dress code is casual, with a preference towards any item with the university logo). Students who refuse to do at least minimal work demanded from course syllabi will likely find themselves on academic probation at some point. And students who fail to pay their tuition on time will probably be shut out altogether, or at the very least lose their registration date until they pay up.

We might ponder whether this collective change—an influx of new students—could bring about social change. While certainly campus culture and student norms shift over time, it is remarkable how stable they have been. I have been on the same campus for fifteen years now, and have seen some positive changes in work ethic and ability as the university has become more selective. Yet incoming students first want to figure out how to fit in, not how to create change.

There is something reassuring about being in the same boat as other new students who are also unsure about what the campus norms are. Recently, the Los Angeles Times reported on a new trend of universities offering mid-year admissions. As college admissions have become more competitive, some schools have started admitting students for the winter or spring rather than the fall. 

Some are concerned that these students might miss out on the opportunity to go through the transition into college with their peers, who will be fully acclimated by the time they arrive on campus. The students who entered in the fall will have bonded with each other, leaving the newest arrivals to fend for themselves. Universities that engage in this practice (including my own) say that these students end up doing very well, having spent the fall semester taking classes elsewhere, working, traveling, or just take the opportunity to become more focused.

What do you think Durkheim would have to say about this? Are these admissions policies creating a new form of anomie?

Comments

[bdleaf]

It does not surprise me that students who come in later in the year still tend to do well, but not necessarily for the "reasons" universities say.

I think you could make the argument that it's creating a 'mild' anomie, but a quarter or two of school isn't going to make or break a student's socialization into campus life.

In the beginning, every student is left to fend for herself or himself. A student who comes later might be more readily absorbed if she sees that her peers (essentially) have already successfully made the transition.

[Elin]

I relate to this blog very much. I am a freshman in college and am in my 2nd semester. This first semester was hard to adjust to and i agree with this text that I had so many questions, the same questions that other freshman had to. I wanted to know everything possible so I wasnt behind or so I didnt do anything wrong. I find it interesting that the new trend for universites to admit students in spring or winter instead of fall, i agree it might be harder for the students to fit in as well as the fall students. How many more or less students get admitted in the spring/winter compared to the fall? This article was interesting i could for sure relate to it.

[Dustin]

I understand the anxiety that people feel when switching to a new school. Between my Sophmore year and my Junior year in High School, I moved all the way across the country from California to Michigan, and boy are the schools different! The first thing I noticed was that the people were much nicer in Michigan compared to those in California. My first friends essentially acted as unofficial guides, as they often refrenced events every day that I had no experience with. As you said, within one to two weeks, I was practically a veteran. Of course, there are still things I'm missing, but I know enough to be able to take care of myself in these new environments.

[jane]

When people enter a new setting I think some norms are broken on accident because the person doesn't know what is expected of him or her. What some people might view as deviance really was just an accident and was not intentional.

[Mary]

As a sociology student, this article made the term anomie so much more understandable. That sense of "normlessness" is universal and happens, I believe, with most of the more drastic changes in ones life. I think some people have such an anxiety of that initial anomie that comes with changes that they won't take the leap to make the changes for themselves in their lives. My mother stayed working at a job location she hated for 15 years because she was so afraid of having to face that feeling of initial normlessness and step out of her comfort zone where she was "a veteran". I really liked your personal references.

[Alyssa D. Mrozek]

As I will be attending college in the Fall of 2009 at the University of Michigan, I will be adapting to new norms as well. According to a sociology class that I'm taking, schools transmit a sort of culture. At school, students develop certain beliefs, attitudes, and basic values. As I attend a new school, I will deal with a new set of attitudes and priorities. I definitely feel that it is important to make a decent transition from high school into college. If the transition is rough though, it is likely that the student will do poorly.

[Adit M.]

You explained anomie very clearly. I will be entering college next fall and will be facing a new set of social norms. I will learn the norms soon and hope to see that the initial anomie does not disrupt my or any other student’s productivity. If I study the school well and know the customs and prevalent culture of the institution, I will be better off and perform better as a freshman.

[PERRY]

FITTING IN IS THE PURPOSE OF SCHOOL , SO WHEN EVEN THE HARDEST CONFORMIST DOESN'T WANT TO FALL INLINE , HE OR SHE WILL SINK OR SWIM, THEREFORE THE BASIS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IS TO CONFORM INTO WHAT THE WORKFORCE COMMANDS, SO SINK OR SWIM

[Alexandra]

The first day of school is a prime example of how powerful the human desire to conform is. When presented with an entirely new environment, we feel a sense of anomie, of being without norms. We want to fit, not make waves. It is only once our feelings of helplessness are gone, once we know what the norms and accepted behaviors of a new place are, that we feel comfortable doing something that might go against those norms. Even then, creating change is rarely something that we actively aim for.

[Amanda Barella]

I think that it is much more difficult to adjust to college if you jump in second semester. However I don't think it is so difficult that you can't still do well. It's a lot like moving to a new high school in the middle of the school year, and that happens all of the time. If you are starting a new school, be it college or high school, there are many more people that feel exactly like you, they don't know what to expect in a lot of situations. However if you come in later in the year, its still possible to do well. At that point, almost everyone else can help you out. Things aren't as on your own because so many more people know what they are doing.