Newswise — What classes should I take? How can I find a roommate? What can I do for fun? These are some questions nervous freshmen ask when they are about to start college. Students at UC San Diego though are quelling the back-to-school jitters by sharing information on Facebook.com.
The UC San Diego network on Facebook currently includes more than 39,000 people and it contains varied information about UC San Diego. One of the many reasons students use the social website is to search for roommates. The Facebook Marketplace is a forum where students can find roommates, jobs and merchandise, such as text books. "I actually found my two roommates through Facebook's Marketplace where people posted [roommate listings]," said Osmond De Guzman, a transfer student. "We had been messaging each other back and forth, then we set up a weekend to get together and ended up finding a place."
On-campus residents are contacting their roommates on Facebook before move-in day. "One of them just added me and I recognized her last name as one of my roommmates," freshman Diana Lam said. "Another added me with a small message, greeting me and saying that she believes she is my roommate. The three girls I've met are really nice and I think we'll all get along well. I didn't know any of them before meeting them on Facebook"
Students who are registering for fall classes also have been going on group pages, such as the UC San Diego Class of 2011 group page, to post questions and get advice. Kevin Ortiz, a UC San Diego alum, said he was happy to share his knowledge with incoming students. "I noticed some of the questions people were asking on the network wall and how I've gone through similar situations in the past four years while at UC San Diego," Ortiz said. "So I figured I'd use my experiences and try to help most of the freshmen who ask questions."
Many students who interact on group pages don't know each other in person; however, they value the advice from other students because they have first-hand knowledge of attending UC San Diego, said De Guzman.
He said he isn't worried about starting school because he found a lot of information about UC San Diego on Facebook. "Facebook has relieved me of a lot of stress and nervousness," De Guzman said. "Especially in terms of preparations, expectations, and anticipations, I would say it has had a sizable impact on my transition from Bakersfield and Bakersfield College to San Diego and UC San Diego."
However, not all advice on the UC San Diego network is completely accurate, according to Erica Hsiou, UC San Diego freshman. "There is a possibility that [users] can give false information," she said. "So when I get information on Facebook, I always listen to multiple suggestions and choose one of my own."
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