There are plenty of things that can make the start of your college life hard, such as being away from home and not seeing your family every day (if you choose to live on campus), or having to start doing college level class work. However, I think that one of the hardest things that any college student out there can relate to is making brand new friends. While some people might just naturally be able to make friends quickly, and find their group of people pretty much on day one of college, there are many of us out there who struggle for weeks trying to make friends. So, to help you find your friends in college, here are 5 simple ways to make new friends once college starts:
Get to know your roommate and/or suitemates. Your first year of college means you are pretty much guaranteed to at least have a roommate, and in many cases suitemates too. One of the easiest ways to make friends is to talk to these new people you are living with. Don’t be afraid to find out more about them and tell them about you, or even ask them to maybe go get dinner with you. These are the people that you are going to be around all the time and living with for the next 8 months, so becoming friends with them will not only provide you with possible new best friends, but it will also make your living situation a whole lot more fun.
Join a club. Getting involved with activities on campus is great for a lot of reasons. Besides the fact that it can help with homesickness or be something fun to do to fill your free time, it can help you make new friends. Meeting people who have the same interests and hobbies as you is basically a guaranteed way to make at least one new friend. Finding at least that one person who relates to you in some way can open the door to meeting lots of other people who can potentially turn out to be some of your closest friends.
Attend a school event. While it may sound boring or even lame to attend a school hosted event, there is potential at these events to meet new people. It may sound scary at first to go to something alone, but I bet you that you meet one new person that could potentially turn into a friend. Events like Mount Olympics or a soccer game are so much fun, and a perfect way to meet not only other members of your class, but upperclassmen as well. Just because you may not be in the same class as someone does not mean that they can’t turn out to be a potentially great friend for you.
Talk to people in your classes. Try talking to the person who sits next to you in one of your classes. The people who are the same major as you are always great friends to have. You will be seeing a lot of each other over the next four years, and they can be helpful to you in so many ways. You would have friends that can tell you what happened if you missed a class or help you study for big tests. Also, they will be able to understand your struggles and frustrations that will inevitably happen when it comes to school better than anyone else can.
Go to your R.A.’s events. All resident assistants host multiple events throughout the school year. Often times they are actually really fun (and many times have free food!), and they are a perfect way to meet the people who live on the same floor as you. Maybe you and your roommate or suitemates just aren’t as close or don’t have the same type of personalities, but becoming friends with people who live on the same floor as you is basically like becoming friends with people you live with. Chances are they only live a few doors down from you, so it will be an easy commute to go and hang out with them.
The key thing to remember is that just because you don’t make friends week one, doesn’t mean you won’t ever find friends in college. Don’t panic, and just remember to give it time and put yourself out there!