High school is undoubtedly one of the most socially segregated places anywhere. No matter how welcoming and open a high school may seem, it is almost a guarantee that there will be social groupings that students will fall into. From my experience at Marshall County High School I have seen the various social boundaries and have seen their benefits and downfalls. Overall, I think that the social groupings are beneficial, although they can cause many undesirable problems.
MCHS has a diverse student body. On any given day, you can walk into the cafeteria at lunchtime and see several different social groups. Some of these social groupings are more obvious than others and may even be considered stereotypical. One of the largest and most commonly seen groupings is the preps, who usually dress nicely, are generally concerned with their appearance, and may be athletic enthusiasts. Another social grouping I have seen at the high school is referred to as the rednecks. This group includes students who are less concerned with personal appearance and may enjoy activities such as hunting. There are also many smaller social groups and cliques among the student body.
It is only natural for people to flock toward other people who share the same interests or characteristics. If there were no differences in social preferences, the world would seem like a pretty boring place. From what I have seen, I feel that most other students enjoy our social groupings. This allows students to associate with other students that they are likely to connect with and stay away from students they might not be compatible with. Personally, I like the social system at the high school sometimes, because I have met many friends who have happened to be associating themselves with the same group with which I was associating myself. However, I do feel that this system of social boundaries and groupings has its drawbacks.
The most unfortunate problem with the social groupings is that they can cause many students to feel unwelcome or unwanted. In a survey taken by honors chemistry students, 60% of students stated that they have felt unwelcome or rejected by others based on different social categories. Oftentimes, two people can be found disassociating themselves with each other simple because they do not belong to the same social group. Since many people have the tendency to talk only to people in their own social group, some students simply never talk to certain other students because of their insignificant social differences. This can cause many people who have the potential to become good friends not to even meet each other.
Another drawback of this system is that there are some students who may not fit perfectly into one of the social groupings. Students who have unique characteristics and interests may find it difficult to make friends or even find someone to talk to at school. If a few members of a certain group are seen shunning a student, the rest of the members are likely to observe this action and do the same. This would probably seem very intimidating to the ostracized student and would likely make him or her very uncomfortable and unwelcome. Some of our social groups are, however, quite open and accepting. There are many groups of students at school who would be willing to accept another student while overlooking their differences.
Overcoming social boundaries is, in my opinion, something very difficult. Just coming up and talking to different social group than you are usually involved with can be very challenging. People like me, who have the tendency to be somewhat shy, may have the most difficulty crossing social boundaries. There is always the fear of being disliked or rejected. You can never be sure of how an individual is going to react to you if you make an attempt to become friends with him or her.
Even if someone from another social grouping seems nice, you still may worry about what he or she really thinks about you on the inside. You may worry that he or she is just acting friendly and doesnt truly accept you. I think that the high school would be a much more enjoyable place if the students would just take a few minutes every day to talk to someone new, someone that they might not ordinarily associate with. This would help promote equality among the students and would create many new friendships.
From my own experience at MCHS, I think that social boundaries and groupings and inevitable in a high school settings. I feel that these social groupings are beneficial at times but can have their drawbacks. I believe high school could be a more welcoming and happier place if students would step out of their own group for a little while and take the time to meet someone new.
