Best Ways To Make Friends At College
College is a thrilling milestone in a person’s life. You are moving away from home and living in a brand new environment. It also means you are in a completely different school system. You may be used to your schools at home where you had classes with the same people from kindergarten to your senior year. That is all going to change. You will probably be staring out college not knowing anyone. Instead of having your old friends, you are going to have to make some new ones. Your college will have thousands of people to choose from. It may seem overwhelming and scary at first, but think of college as a place to do some bonding and to seize new opportunities. Get out of your shell and get some new connections. It can be difficult to figure out how to do this, but there are plenty of ways to make a friend. Here are some of the many ways that you can make some new friends in college. By the time you graduate, you will have a lot of people that you care about and will care for you.
1. Participate During Orientation
The whole point of orientation is to meet new people. Most people enter college not knowing anyone and that can be scary. Luckily, you are put in groups during orientation, and chances are that one of those people can be your friend. So you shouldn’t just sit on the sidelines while everyone is having fun and think that you are above it all. The activities may seem a little cheesy, but you could end up having a lot of fun. And if you are relaxing and having fun, you will be able to bond with people. You’ll be able to goof around with some people during games or dance with some people when there is music playing. You guys will all be in the same boat during orientation so you will all be looking for friends .So spend your orientation as carefree as possible so you can find some friends that will already see that you are awesome to be around.
2. Hang Out In Your Dorm Hall
Once you get to college, you won’t be living with just your family anymore. You will be on a floor surrounded by other college students your own age. A new friend could just be a couple steps away. A lot of dorm halls usually have a seating area where people can talk and hang out. If you go out in your hall every so often, you may see people just sitting there. So why not take a seat and get to know your hall mates? If you spend all of your time in your room and only leave for classes and food, you will never get to know the people in your hall. You wouldn’t even have to go far to see them. Some days there may not be anyone in the seating area, so you could sit there yourself and wait for people, maybe even get some one on one bonding. It is always nice to have a friend that is not very far from you, so talk to people that are just a few doors down.
3. Go To A Party
A large part of the college experience is the partying. You may think that you have been to a party before, but it was probably pretty different from a college party. College parties will have blasting music, drinking, a lot of people crowding together, and other types of excitement and mischief. If this sounds intriguing to you, then you should try going to a party. If none of this sounds fun to you, that is a totally valid choice. However, if you like to party, then this could be a great place for you to find a friend. Already there is something in common. You all are the type of people who like to go out and go crazy like social butterflies. There are usually new awkward moments at a party. You can go up to anyone at a party for any reason and it won’t be weird. You can find someone to play beer pong with for some instant fun times. Then in the future, you will have a reliable person to go with to the next party. So if you are an energetic socializer, go to a party to make friends with your kind of people.
4. Join Interesting Clubs
There are a lot of clubs to choose from when you are at college. Depending on the size of your school, there could be hundreds of them. This means that at least one or two of them pertain to some of your interests. If a club looks cool, don’t hesitate to sign up. One of the great parts about joining a club is all of the people that you get to meet. That is what makes clubs a great hotspot for finding a friend. You all signed up because you thought that the club seemed exciting and you thought that you could have a great time. That means that all of you already have something in common. That is something to work off of when you are making conversation. You will have something to bond over and some conversation topics ready. Not to mention that you will all get to hang out together when participating in the club’s activities. So get out there and join a club that makes you happy so you can meet friends that will make you happy.
5. Talk To People In Classes
You are going to meet a lot of people in your classes. In college, class size can range from a dozen people to a couple hundred people. Either way, you will find people that are curious about the same subjects as you. You may be wanting to get the same thing out of your college education as someone else, and they could lead to a new friend. It is always nice to have a study buddy in your classes for exchanging notes, going over study guides together, pairing up for projects, and more. This will help make your learning more enjoyable. You can also bond over future career paths and as they are sure to be similar. Even if it turns out you are not a fan of the class, you will always have someone to sit next to. Class time does not always have to be listening to professor talk. It can also be about finding someone new to share an experience.
6. Sit At A Random Lunch Table
Sometimes taking a risk can pay off. It may sometimes feel scary to interact with new people, but you don’t know what will happen until you try. There are a lot of ways to make a friend through an organized structure or a foundation, but there is nothing wrong with being a little bold. If you are at your school’s dining hall during lunch, you are going to see a lot of tables with a lot of people. If you don’t have anyone to sit with, find some new people. If you see a group of people that looks approachable, just ask if you can sit with them. You’re all adults now, nothing bad will happen. The worst thing they can do is say no, in which case you can move on to another table. You could go up to random people, but there could also be people you’ve seen around at an event or you just see them on campus and you like their fashion sense. Whatever the reason is, take a chance. College is about taking risks, so step out of your comfort zone and have a meal with someone new.
7. Meet Some Mutual Friends
There is no such thing as having too many friends. You will constantly be meeting people when you are in college, so you don’t need to stop making friends. A new friend can even be made through other friends. I think it is safe to say that you like and get along with your friends. Therefore, it is a good chance that you will like and get along with their friends. Figure out some occasions where you can meet mutual friends. Maybe you can all have a meal together or do homework together. Or maybe when your friend’s birthday is coming up, you and their mutual friends can plan something together. This is a great way to meet people because something you have in common is that you both care about the same person, and that is something to work off. So don’t feel that you can only hang out with a friend when it’s one on one. Get to know more people and build a fantastic group.
