Sociogram Requirement
One of the final requirements for the LYFE Scholars Program is a sociogram that identifies the connections
you’ve made this year and how your goals that you listed in your fall reflection essay were achieved by
building these relationships. It’s a visual representation of the relationships among characters, thoughts, or
things using pictures, symbols, shapes, colors, and line styles to illustrate these relationships.
Step 1:
Identify the important things in your life from this past year. This could include personal relationships,
academic relationships (advisors, coaches, RAs, etc), jobs, events, and campus resources and offices. What
and who helped you survive your first year of college?
Step 2:
Recall your goals that you set at the end of the fall semester and determine how these people and places
helped you to achieve those goals. If you can’t remember them, create new ones.
Step 3:
Create your sociogram. Visually, the central character (in this case, “you”) is placed at the center of the page
and the supporting concepts surround it with lines identifying the connection(s). Ways to designate
relationships:

Arrows: Show the give and take of a relationship with a one or two sided arrow. Does the relationship
go both ways or is it predominantly one way?

Lines: Represent on-going relationships with a solid line and short term, or one time, relationships with
a dashed line. Sometime people or offices serve as supports, but may not directly relate to a goal.

Colors: Designate different colors for various “types” of supports (academic people, personal
relationships, offices, websites/social media, etc).
Step 4:
Provide a short narrative of the various aspects of your sociogram. Who are your supports? Did they help you
reach your goals and how? Were there experiences that made an impact on you, but maybe didn’t directly
relate to a goal?
For example:

My sorority, Phi Mu, has helped me connect to the campus and kept me focused on getting good
grades.

The LYFE program, “A Beautiful Mind” provided me with tips on how to study more effectively.

The MAC has helped me with my math class and Bepko helped me narrow down my major and
gave me tips on how to talk to my professors.

My RA, Kimberly, has been a personal support and a great resource, but also goes to work out with
me.

My Advisor, Laura, has helped me to identify my interests and how that translates to a major.

The MCID Fair helped me talk with schools to confirm my major.

I work at the Campus Center which not only helps me with money, but I get to meet a lot of nice
people, both students and staff.

My Mom, Dad, and partner, Julian, have been there as supports.