Going to college opens a new chapter in your life that comes with its own set of good and bad things. One of the sad part of joining a college is that it is likely that you do not know any other soul and you may feel lonely. It is important to make some friends who can help you make the best of college life and expand your network. Being a first year student is scary because you have to figure out how to survive in a new environment where you have no friends. When everyone is a stranger and you hardly know the culture and lifestyle in your new environment, the best thing you can do is to make some friends. Friends will help you adapt to your new environment and grow your network. Here are some hacks for students that can help them make new friends in their freshman year.
Tip 1: Go to campus events
Going to campus events presents a great opportunity to meet people. Campus events are characterized by many students who converge for the event and being among them you can strike a conversation with someone who can eventually become your friend. You can seek a role to play in the event if you are good at it or be part of the audience. Events are social places and you can use them to approach someone and strike a conversation.
Tip 2: Do your homework in social spaces
Doing your homework alone will add to your loneliness. It is important to position yourself in the path of other people even when doing your academics. Instead of doing your homework alone, find someone in your class and discuss it with him/her. Ask questions about various aspects of the assignment to your colleagues and request if they can find time and you work on the assignment together. Ask also if you can study together because eventually these classmates will probably become your friends outside academic stuff. Rather than doing your homework in your room, go to the library and if need be asking assistance from someone as you learn how to search for the information relevant to your field. Most people will gladly help or refer you to someone but if they are cold towards you, don’t coil, have the nerve to try another.
Tip 3: Volunteer
If you have some time to spare in your schedule at school you can find somewhere to volunteer. Meeting with other volunteers is likely to earn you some friends as you focus on accomplishing the tasks you ought to do. Doing your volunteer work you will have to talk to people and eventually you will become free with them and likely become your friends. Therefore, while in school seek volunteer work and enroll to help. It will earn you more friends and grow your network. Additionally, it will add credibility to your resume.
Tip 4: Find a friend who is more social than you.
An easier approach to have more friends is to have a more social friend than yourself. Court them and make them your friends and they will introduce you to their friends. By extension, his/her friends will also become your friends. Additionally, you will learn social skills from him/her and apply them to make your own friends. More social people are more likely to lead you to social events or groupings where you can meet more people. Tell him/her to tag you along wherever he/she goes because it is likely that your will meet more people and become your friends. Thus, find someone who seems friendlier and more social than you and gain the courage to approach him/her and say ‘hi’, it will pay of beautifully.
Tip 5: Get out of your room!
It may sound obvious to get out of your room but it is necessary in making friends. How many people do you have a chance to meet in your room? Therefore, getting out of your room is inevitable in making friends. Whenever you have free time get out of your room and take a stroll around the campus or visit one of your friends or class representative. Getting out of your room edges your closer to other social circles which can absorb you and become your new family in campus. if you have no specific place to go, then go to social places around the institution and eventually you will meet people who are likely to become your friends. The playground is a great place to start.
Tip 6: Be interesting.
We all have different personalities and they attract or deflect people from us. Being interesting is not about being funny or doing some magic tricks, it is the ability to connect with people and living around them without feeling uncomfortable. Develop your social skills such that other people can find it comfortable with being around you. Strive to keep your conversations interesting and avoid controversial topics such as politics and religion. Flow with the group and avoid becoming the odd one out. Let go a little and just go with the flow. If you are not interesting you will alienate yourself and make it more difficult to make friends.
Tip 7: Use the dorm to your advantage.
Your residential area is one of the places to meet friends at college. The people you bump into everyday are likely to become your friend. You can enlist their help with simple tasks and even share personal stories with them. When you meet in common places around the dorm such as laundry, strike a conversation with someone. Eat in the cafeteria, study in the common room, speak to your roommate, get into the gym and find a workout buddy etc. some of the activities around the dorm life will earn you a few friends and through them you can grow your social circle.
Tip 8: Check Facebook for any school-related groups.
Social media is a great tool to knowing more people around your institution. Facebook helps people to network and connect. Searching Facebook for school related groups and joining them can set you up to meet more people. These groups are often categorical in their missions and thus you can find the groups that resonate with your interests. Any events organized by these groups will be great socializing places for you and chance to meet people who share in your interests.
Concisely, many people leave colleges having made the best friends and the aforementioned tips can come in handy in making friends in college. By following these tips, you will make more friends than you can imagine in your freshman year.
