• Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group

University Survival

  • Student Success Skills
    • Picking a College
    • Financing Your Education
    • Choosing a Major
    • Preparing for College
    • Managing the Personal Side of the Transition to College
    • Developing Discipline to Do Well
    • Managing the Social Side of College
    • Being an Efficient Learner
    • Taking Tests
    • Ensuring You Receive The Grade You Want
    • Managing Group Projects
    • Becoming a Campus Leader
    • Student Athletes
    • Navigating College Practices
    • Succeeding on Internships and Co-ops
    • Making Critical Decisions
    • Overcoming Challenges for Specific Types of Students
    • Setting Goals
    • Being an International Student In The United States
    • Using Resources
    • Communication Skills for College Graduates
    • Building a Professional Network
    • Using LinkedIn to Develop Your Network
    • Preparing for a Career
    • Understanding Job Protocols
    • Developing Essential Career Skills
    • Becoming a Leader
    • Overcoming Career Challenges
    • Planning for your Financial Future
  • Parent Connections
    • Parent Topics
      • Being a Supportive Parent
      • Making Critical Decisions
      • Financing Your Student’s Education
    • Parent Emails
  • Teacher Resources
  • Resources
  • Community
  • About
You are here: Student Success Skills » Building a Professional Network » Paying It Forward

Student Success Skills

Paying It Forward

by jennifer
July 26, 2012

The concept of paying it forward means that rather than repaying the debt to a person you support someone else by giving them what you were given.  For example if someone helped you though a tough time in your life.  You pay back that favor by helping someone else.  The debt in this case doesn’t necessarily mean a financial debt.  The debt could be any type of support.

The concept of paying it forward was popularized in the movie Pay It Forward, but the origin was originally a Greek Comedy.  The concept was popular among influential Americans such as Ben Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Think about how the concept of paying it forward applies to college students.  Some applications are immediate.  Others will take longer to pay it forward.

  1. When someone offers you valuable advice, share that advice with another person.
  2. When someone helps you understand a concept from a class, teach someone else that concept.
  3. When someone helps you through a personal issue, help someone else with his/her personal issue when you feel ready.
  4. When you are mentored by someone, become a mentor for another when you become more experienced.
  5. Should you receive financial support from others to get through college, think about providing equivalent financial support to a student should you become secure financially later in life.

Those who believe in the concept of paying it forward experience a sense of sustainable giving that can be more rewarding than just simply the sharing of gifts.  The best thing you can do to build and sustain your network is to practice paying it forward..

← Doing the Little Things That Make a Big Difference
Knowing How to Build a Network →

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic

Share This

Rate This Topic

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Testimonials

  • This semester I have made some big improvements to not only my school work, but to all aspects of college life.  I have become a lot more time efficient.  I have learned a lot of better ways to study, such as making flash cards and using new note taking strategies.  I have also started going to class 15 minutes before it starts so I have time to get all of my stuff organized and ready for class.  I also plan on using my agenda more effectively.  I have really struggled with my time management skills this semester.  They are slightly better this semester compared to last, but not as good as I would have liked them to be at this point.  I have done a lot better with classes this semester though.  I have gone to allmost all of my classes this semester.  I have also done really well with homework..

Sign Up For Student Emails

Sign up for Student Emails

Enter your email below to get weekly student emails.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic

Share This

Sign Up For Parent Emails

Sign up for Parent Emails

Enter your email below to get weekly parent emails.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Suggest a Topic

Looking for a topic and can't find it? Why not submit one...

Suggest a Topic
© Copyright - University Survival