Entering college is one of the most exciting but nervous times for a freshman. It is the first time you are away from your parents, rules, and the comfort zone you have learned to stay within growing up. What’s great about college is that it’s the time to branch out and experience new things and build new relationships. Leaving your hometown and moving to a new city is the first step to a fun and rewarrding experience that is known as college.
Meeting people or making friends is not as difficult as you might think it would. Everybody is in the same situation, moving from home and getting thrown into a place where they don’t know anybody. That is exactly what I did, I left my small hometown and went to a southern university where nobody from my high school went to. Of course I was nervous about making friends, but I knew out of all the people at my school I would find someone to become friends with, and I sure did.
One thing to think about is having multiple roommates your freshman year. I was fortunate enough to find three dudes that were cool and made the transition to college that much easier. With that being said, having three other roommates meant that I was able to meet their friends and with that, I met even more people and the list of mutual friends I made throughout my first semester just kept on growing. This is helpful because with a never ending list, means more people you can grab a coffee with, study with, or even meet up at the bars on the weekend.
Another option that will help you branch out is by joining greek life. Now I know what you might be thinking, who would join something that is essentially paying for friends? I do see where you are coming from, but Greek life is more than what you see on social media or in movies. While you do pay to be a member of the organization, you get to meet other dudes that are very similar to you. Most even study the same major and can help you with your classes. Being in a fraternity gives you friends in all four different grade levels in college, and gives you constant opportunities to do something with yourself in college. I used to be this shy, quiet, very mellow kind of guy when I came into college, and forcing myself to join a fraternity and be around different kinds of people helped me break out of my shell. I learned to grow thicker skin and became a more confident individual.
Now lastly, forcing yourself to talk to classmates can go a lot farther than you think. In college, you’ll realize quickly that you will have class friends and out-of-class friends. The class friends are the ones you only speak to in class and nowhere else. Take advantage of this because you never know where that relationship can go. For example, my friend was partnered with another guy for an accounting project, the two became close in class but that’s it, his partner later helped him land a job for Deloitte because he had a connection and knew my friend was looking for a job. Enough said.
To end this on a high note, branching out in college is not as hard as you may think. Just learn to take the initiative to approach people first and it will go a long way. Trust me, the people you meet in college will come to be your closest friendships in life.