Sense of Belonging

Feeling connected to others at your institution

For many students, thinking about college involves two things: studying hard and making lots of friends. However, once arriving at college, many students can feel like they don’t belong. If you find yourself feeling this way, the first thing to understand is that you are NOT alone.

It is very common for new college students to feel like there aren’t other students they can relate to, or that the problems they’re facing are unique. Rest assured, there are many students who have faced what you’re facing - both right now and in past semesters. Making an effort to reach out to other students and learn about them is a good first step to feeling less isolated. Learning from experienced students who have faced and overcome those challenges is even better.

It’s also common to feel like the people at your college or university aren’t there to help. Faculty and staff can seem busy, important, or disinterested. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Those people work in higher education just to help students like you. So if you’re feeling isolated or like a problem is too big to handle, asking a faculty member or advisor is one of the most helpful things you can do.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa

How can I improve my Sense of Belonging?

Strategies to Use

In each course you’re taking, try to spark up a conversation with just one student you don’t already know. Appreciate both the ways in which you are similar and different. Regardless of those things, it’s likely that you both have similar goals (i.e., a college degree) and similar challenges to face to get there.

Resources at Western Carolina

Check out WCU's Campus Activities to enrich your campus experience. WCU offers a variety of extracurricular student activities, events, student organizations, and leadership programs.
Intercultural Affairs (ICA) provides an inclusive environment where students of diverse backgrounds and cultures can find appreciation, respect, and recognition through active participation in sharing ideas and enlightening the campus community at WCU.
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Repository serves as a repository of curated resources connecting students with campus professional development opportunities and student DEIB events and organizations.
Looking for volunteer opportunities? The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning provides opportunities to engage with the WCU community and beyond.

Online Resources

“Getting involved” doesn’t always have to include things on campus. Try Meetup.com to explore volunteer opportunities in and around your community.