Striking the Right Balance Between Work and Play

Let’s face it, transitioning from high school to college can be difficult.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where your strengths lie. Living in a new community with a new set of social norms, while adapting to more rigorous curriculum is no easy task. This, combined with the fact that students are forming new social connections and managing their own schedules, and the pressure can be enough to send even the most highly organized, socially adept young adults packing their bags. 

U.S. News & World Report says that as many as 1 in 3 first-year college students won't make it back for their sophomore year. For some, the freedom to self-prioritize results in too much time spent on social endeavors and not enough time hitting the books.

But for students with diagnosed learning or social challenges, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, the balance between work and social activities often tips in the opposite direction. For many of these students, the prospect of cultivating new social connections in college can feel intimidating. The sights and sounds of the campus environment can be overwhelming for people whose challenges include sensory disorders. In these cases there can be a tendency to turn away from the social interaction of campus life.   

Yet social and extracurricular involvement in college is shown to be a key element of student overall success and happiness. There are numerous evidence-based studies showing human interaction is key to a person’s mental and physical health - both of which can be tested during times of big life transitions - like transitioning from high school to college.  

That is why a pillar of College Steps’ mission is to provide the social supports needed to help students more fully integrate into campus life. Both through our network of on-campus peer mentors and the encouragement and help of our on-campus program coordinators, students are given opportunities to form connections and participate in group activities.

Photo by Brigitta Gough. 

One successful example of these supports is Brandon Farrell, a second year student at Castleton University in Vermont who started his own campus bowling league. Brandon’s story was recently featured in the campus newspaper the Castleton Spartan:

“...He started competing at the age of six or seven years old and once his attempt to make a bowling club in high school did not succeed, he made it his mission to start one in college.

Patricia Moore, coordinator of College Steps that provides college experience for those with developmental disabilities, asked Farrell what he liked to do in his free time and what clubs he wanted to join at Castleton when he came to the school in the fall of 2016. His immediate reply was he wanted to have a bowling club...

In their first meeting they had fewer than 10 students, but now the club has expanded to over ten. Last year when the club began they just bowled for fun. Now they are competing in tournaments in the USBC Collegiate League.

The members of the club are supportive of each other. They high five each other after each person goes and they cheer each other on. For Farrell, this has helped him.

‘From my perspective, this has been a truly amazing experience. I’ve seen so much growth in Farrell; in his self-esteem, being able to independently communicate with people about rides, getting together and stuff,’ Moore said…

One of the greatest parts of the club for Farrell is that it has allowed him to get out of his comfort zone and make friends.”

Activities like this are more than just a way to pass time. They are opportunities for students to form and maintain critical social connections - connections that ultimately allow us to stay healthy and relieve stress, making the academic part of the college experience more manageable.

When it comes to not striking out at college, the key can be striking the right balance.

College Steps Student Starts Bowling Club at Castleton

The following story was published in Castleton University's student publication, the Castleton Spartan, on December 13, 2017.  It was written by Brigitta Gough with photo by Brigitta Gough.

Brandon Farrell seeks a strike at Castleton Bowling Club practice on Nov. 16. Photo by Brigitta Gough. 

In the fall of 2016, Castleton STEPS student Brandon Farrell started the Bowling Club. He has been bowling since he was four years old and it shows. On Nov. 16 at one of the club’s practices, he got five strikes in a row in one game with a final score of 180 points.

That isn’t his highest score ever, though.

“I always like to challenge myself to see if I can get a higher score than I used to, like my high score now is a 276,” Farrell said.

He started competing at the age of six or seven years old and once his attempt to make a bowling club in high school did not succeed, he made it his mission to start one in college.

Patricia Moore, coordinator of the STEPS program that provides colege experience for those with developmental disabilities, asked Farrell what he liked to do in his free time and what clubs he wanted to join at Castleton when he came to the school in the fall of 2016. His immediate reply was he wanted to have a bowling club.

STEPS mentors, who also worked in Residence Life, suggested they contact Director of Residence Life, Michael Robilotto to start the club because he was interested in bowling as well.

“My initial response was ‘yes let’s do it, why not try something new because we had interest from students last year so we went ahead and did it,” Robilotto said.

He said the challenge was finding people to do it.

In their first meeting they had fewer than 10 students, but now the club as expanded to over ten. Last year when the club began they just bowled for fun. Now they are competing in tournaments in the USBC Collegiate League.

This year alone they have already competed in two tournaments and plan to compete in at least one more before the end of the semester.

The members of the club are supportive of each other. They high five each other after each person goes and they cheer each other on. For Farrell, this has helped him.

“From my perspective, this has been a truly amazing experience. I’ve seen so much growth in Farrell; in his self-esteem, being able to independently communicate with people about rides, getting together and stuff,” Moore said.

The captain of the bowling club Anissa Martin was thrilled to help start the club with Farrell. Bowling is a sport she loves and has been playing since she was two. Bowling runs in both Farrell and Martin’s families for generations.

Martin worked closely with Farrell to start the club and still relies on his input for its future.

“We’re still very close. I go to him for advice on what he wants to see come out of the club because he did found it and I feel like his decisions and his opinions are very important to my decisions,” Martin said.

Martin says that their goal is to have fun and support each other.

“I consider this a family,” Martin said.

Farrell is happy he started the club. It allows him to keep improving along with the three other leagues he competes in.

“He’s very dedicated to bowling, it’s very important to him,” Robilotto said.

One of the greatest parts of the club for Farrell is that it has allowed him to get out of his comfort zone and make friends.

“That’s where I met all my new friends I made this year, most of them, the majority of the friends I’ve made this year are through bowling club,” Farrell said.

Moore agrees that this has been one of the greatest parts of the club, she said that he wouldn’t have been able to communicate the way he does now a year ago.

“Bowling club has given him that confidence to reach out,” Moore said.