In a study examining links between scholastic achievement and personal relationships, researchers surveyed 226 first-year undergraduate university students studying engineering in the same cohort and found that socially isolated students received lower grades compared with students who developed more friendships, had more positive interactions, and found peers with whom to study, suggesting that friendships can evolve into collaborative academic relationships, according to the authors.
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Article #18-11388: "Integration in emerging social networks explains academic failure and success," by Christoph Stadtfeld, András Vörös, Timon Elmer, Zsófia Boda, and Isabel J. Raabe.
MEDIA CONTACT: Christoph Stadtfeld, ETH Zürich, SWITZERLAND; tel: +41446320793, +41788639198; e-mail: c.stadtfeld@ethz.ch
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences