Adolescence Study Project

As a part of my overall college experience, I decided to live on

campus at Adelphi. Living in Linen Hall, I find that I spend a lot of time
with the people that I live with. Ive come to consider them an
extension of my family and Im constantly in their company, especially
my friend Chase. We met on the very first day of school because he
lives on my floor. Weve grown very close and spend countless hours in
each others company each day. He is eighteen years old, a freshman
like me, he stands at six feet and one inch, and is one very dynamic
adolescent.

Chases personality can best be described as unique and

eccentric. He isnt one to march to the beat of societys expectations;
he moves to his own drum. He is very personable, easy to talk to, and
definitely humorous. This changes, however, depending on the setting
I find him in. For example, when he is studying or doing some kind of
work, he is in his own world. He
isolates himself from everything
and everyone in order to get his
assignments accomplished to the
best of his ability. Once he sits
down and begins working on
something, thats it; he wont stop
until it is finished and finished well.
When in the presence of other people, he is the Chase that I know. He
talks to everyone, is always smiling, and is a very lighthearted
individual. Sometimes, however, he nods off and goes into his own
bubble, daydreaming or texting while in the company of our friends.
The cognitive side of Chase is very logical and rational. When he
needs to get work done, he knows to isolate himself from his friends,
turn off the television, and make sure the environment that he is in is
one thats suitable to work in. Watching him interact with friends also
shows his reason. He thinks about what he is going to say before he
says it, and chooses his words carefully so as not to offend anyone.

Chase uses time management very well and even sets out to-do lists
for him self so that he never gets off track; a feat that many
adolescents (including myself) have a hard time with.
His physical domain is rather ordinary. He is an eighteen-yearold, African-American boy. He is six feet and one inch tall, and has a
very slender figure. He doesnt
seem like the type to engage in
sports because of the way his frame
is built. When asked, Chase said
that he participated on his high
schools track and field team for a
year, before quitting. One fairly
unique characteristic of his physical
description, however, is his fairly recent lip piercing, which was a spur
of the moment decision on his part.
Chases behavior, as previously stated, differs depending on his
surroundings. When in a social setting, he is nothing but talkative. He
is friends with seemingly everyone and will go out of his way to say hi
to the people he knows. His personality is definitely bizarre, but
friendly all the same. Sometimes, his comments are so random and out
of nowhere that he simply gets stared at. Other than that, he is
consistently the life of whichever room he walks into. He is very vocal
and uses a wide variety of had gestures when he talks.

In Linen Hall, we refer to each

other as the Linen Fam because we
treat each other like family. Chase is
certainly no exception. He treats
everyone with the same respect that
he, himself, gets treated with. Like
every family, however, there are
moments of tension. When under the stresses of homework and
studying, Chases fuse shortens a few notches. If he is under any sort
of pressure, he is far less welcoming and inviting to his friends. Its not
that he doesnt want to talk to anyone, he just knows the importance
of doing well academically and would rather finish his assignments at a
reasonable hour than have to pull countless all-nighters like many
other college students subject themselves to. Aside from his rare
moments of strain and nerves, Chase interacts effortlessly with his
peers and fellow adolescents.
Chases school history is as regular as anybodys. He attended
elementary school until fourth grace, junior high school from fifth to
eighth, and high school from ninth to twelfth, all prior to coming to
Adelphi this past fall. Upon questioning, Chase describes himself as
always having been very focused on academics, a nerd of sorts. He
has had consistently received good grades, been on several honor
rolls, and even entered college with a couple of credits from high

school. From what Ive seen of Chase, this seems to be accurate. Ive
seen him study for hours on end, constantly typing something up on
his computer. He works on his assignments when theyre given, rather
than the night before theyre due. Ive even seen one of our fellow floor
mates approach him to ask for help on one of their class assignments.
These observations have led me to believe that Chase wasnt
exaggerating; that he is, in fact, a school-oriented individual.
From what Ive experienced of Chase, he is a fairly average
adolescent. His temperament is, indeed, a unique one but when you
look at the bigger picture, Chase fits right in. His logic and morals are
better than a lot of adolescents I know, considering he makes sure his
words and actions dont upset anyone. He also goes out of his way to
comfort and include anyone that seems isolated. Chases behavior is
normal, reasoning when its time to socialize and when its time to
buckle down and get things done. His schooling and study habits are
where I would assume every college students are, maybe even a bit
above considering his opposition to procrastination and putting
assignments off until the last minute. The relationships that Chase
holds within our Adelphi community are healthy ones that he does his
best to keep that way. Overall, studying Chase apart from just being his
friend has shown me a lot more about who he is when seemingly no
one is watching. His nature is a positive one and his development as an
adolescent, in my opinion, appears to be heading in the right direction.