One of the most intimidating things about college is the fear that you won’t make any friends and you’ll be sitting in your room eating ramen alone every weekend, with rare glimpses of your roommate as they come in and out going to and from all of the parties that they’re invited to. There are definitely a few things that are intimidating about freshman year, but keep in mind that you will find those lifelong friends that everyone keeps talking about, you may not find them right away but this guide will help you to speed up the process.
Be yourself
In college, you have a clean slate and you can be whoever you want to be. In high school, you might feel pressured to be friends with certain people being that you have to see them every day. But in college, if you’re really just not feeling the girl that you had lunch with you really don’t have to see her again especially if your college is huge. Be yourself and you will attract people that are like you. Don’t try to downplay who you are and you will be able to meet amazing people that have the same sense of humor and interests as you.
Go to as many events as possible
College is filled to the brim with events. Everyone is trying to get to know each other and make friends the first few weeks so yes you do want to go to the rec center “palooza” that they’re having later. Don’t be afraid of just walking up to people and introducing yourself either. One “hey how are you liking this event?” can lead to four years of skipping that event with your best friend.
Join Clubs
Join clubs that you are interested in to make friends that share the same interests as you. Clubs are great conversation starters. If it’s a poetry club then maybe you can swap your hopeless romantic notebooks. Whatever the club is about can spark a lot of talking and lead to a new relationship. It’s as easy as taking a part of the name of the club and then inserting it into a sentence. For example book club. “What’s your favorite book?” Try this template with any club and add your own modifications.
Say hello to your hall mates
Sometimes your best friend is literally in the room next to yours. See if your RA is holding any events for the whole dorm and be sure to attend them and get to know the people that you’ll be seeing around your hall every day. This can especially come in handy if you ever need to borrow toothpaste or just want someone to binge watch Netflix with on the nights that you don’t feel like going out. However, choose carefully because if you end up hating this person then you’re going to have some awkward run-ins…
Ask someone if you can sit at their table in the dining hall
Even though this may seem nerve-wracking at first, there really is no harm done in simply asking if you can sit down in a public space. It’s important to remember that everyone is trying to make friends just as much as you are, and having the courage to ask a simple question can lead to nights of happily watching youtube videos together with your soul mate equivalent of a best friend. Plus there isn’t any harm done in small talk, and you’re eating so the time will probably go by fast if you end up not clicking with them. Try asking their major or where they’re from. You would be surprised at how easy this is to do the more times that you try.
Go to events held by your major
An event surrounding your main topic of interest with other people that are interested in the same thing? You might’ve just found 4 new friends in one sitting. Everyone likes this thing that you like. These are your people.
Strike up a conversation in class and suggest a study group
Study groups are killing two birds with one stone. Potential friends and better grades! Everyone is dying to find people to study with anyways and some people are too shy to ask. Be the sigh of relief that everyone is holding in and suggest exchanging numbers to meet up before your first test!
Overall, even though making friends is an intimidating process for some, there are several ways on your own campus to jump-start the journey to friends for life. You simply have to say hello.
