For many of us who didn’t have the smoothest time making friends in high school, there’s typically the notion that it will be simpler in college.
Others may not have had trouble making friends in high school, but they are nonetheless concerned about leaving behind childhood pals and forming a new social group in a new town.
Yes,
it’s a New Beginning, but…
In many respects, college is a new beginning. You aren’t seeing the same folks all the time as you were in high school. In many circumstances, you’re living alone for the first time, and the world appears to be a lot larger place.
However, there are a number of reasons that can make it appear that making friends in college is more difficult. If you commute to school from your parents’ house or from off-campus, for example, making friends in college can be more challenging than in high school.
Unless you make an effort, large lecture halls and a regular cycle of new faces can make it tough to develop long-term friendships.
If you don’t have crippling social anxiety, there are a few variables that will make it simpler to establish friends at college:
Travelling vs. attending.
Being a part of a programme with fewer classes and cohorts.
Even if you live on campus or are enrolled in a programme where getting to know your peers is easy, the suggestions below will help you build new social circles.
“In one year of college, I made more friends than I did in four years of high school.” – Unidentified
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It’s the Easiest It’ll Ever Be
When it comes to establishing friends, you’ll never have it easier than in college. You’ll have the opportunity to meet new folks every day. You’ll be surrounded by thousands of other kids your age, many of whom are eager to make new friends and socialise.
If you’re having trouble making friends and meeting new people, all of the above may seem like a slap in the face. The truth is if you’re timid or less socially outgoing, and/or you live off-campus, and/or you’re in a programme where you don’t see the same people every day, you’ll have to put in some extra effort to make friends in college.
Whether you’re timid or outgoing, the sheer number of peers you’ll be around and the stage of your life will make making friends at college much easier than at any other time in your life. It isn’t going to get any simpler, so make an effort today.
Related: A 7-Step Process for Handling With Negative Friendships
The Foundation
The basic structure for making friends in college is the same as it is at any other time in your life, with the exception that following these steps will be much easier. The following are the three stages you must perform in order to establish friends in college:
You should place yourself in situations where you can meet new people.
You should strike up a conversation with strangers and take the initiative to hang out with folks with whom you get along.
You should keep interacting with the folks with whom you connect. If you have a lot in common, this should come effortlessly, but you should still make an effort in some circumstances.
“A college education should prepare students to entertain three types of people: friends, ideas, and themselves.” — Professor Thomas Ehrlich
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Putting Yourself in the Company of Good Friends
This is the most crucial stage. While there are numerous opportunities to meet new people at university, many students still struggle to establish a social life, owing to their failure to take the effort to put themselves in situations where they can meet potential friends. If your present pattern of showing up to class and sprinting for the door the second you hear “that’s all for this week” isn’t getting you anywhere, here are some ways to meet new pals in college:
Residential.
If you’re lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) enough to be assigned to the residence, you’ll have an opportunity to meet friends that you wouldn’t have otherwise. You don’t have to befriend everyone on your floor (and chances are you won’t), but because you’ll see them every day, you’ll have the opportunity to form lasting friendships.
Students in your classes. This can be more challenging if you’re in an undergrad programme with large classrooms and a lot of electives, as you won’t be seeing the same people every day.
However, this simply means that you must exercise a little more initiative in conversing with individuals around you. If your classes contain hundreds of people, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of faces, but initiating a short chat with someone next to you every now and then can help you uncover new friendships you’d otherwise miss if you just go to class, zone out, and leave when the bell rings.
Join student organisations and clubs.
Student clubs abound on university campuses, catering to students from all walks of life and with a wide range of interests. There’s a good chance that at least a handful of them will attract folks who share your interests.
Joining a club or organisation also gives you the opportunity to try something new that you might not have done before. Lookup a list of student groups on your university’s website and attend a meeting. If showing up to a group mid-semester seems scary, make sure to attend the first few meetings, where there will be plenty of newbies like yourself.
Participate in social gatherings – It can be scary to attend a social gathering alone, but there are many events on campus that are geared to help individuals get to know one another.
Participate in off-campus activities.
You don’t have to limit yourself to schoolwork just because you’re a student. You can also pursue a hobby or enrol in an off-campus class.
Volunteer. If you don’t want to join a hobby club or social group, you can always volunteer and participate. Whether it’s a student newspaper or radio station, or an activist group for a specific cause, whatever you select, you’ll be able to put your abilities to good use while meeting like-minded students.
“You’ll have pals for life if you establish friends in college, even if you don’t take them for years at a time.” Jessica Park is a writer.
Don’t Bury Yourself
It can be difficult to get the ball moving if you haven’t really discovered your social group yet. If you’re an introvert by nature, the temptation may be to isolate yourself and focus on academics or your single activities.
There’s nothing wrong with concentrating on yourself and your studies, but don’t use it as an excuse to remain in your comfort zone. Everyone wants to make friends, but if this isn’t happening for you, you’ll need to act. Hopefully, the suggestions above will make things a little easier for you.