Let’s face it. The first few weeks of college aren’t as easy as people make them out to be, especially the social aspect. It can be tough to pluck up the courage to step outside your comfort zone and speak to new people, especially if you’re a lone wolf or nervous nelly. Straight from the constraints of Secondary school, this new place, full of opportunity and diversity, can seem rather daunting to say the very least. Once you get past the initial shock to the system, you’ll find yourself indulging in the freedom that you dreamt of. Luckily, fitting in is a lot easier in college than it was in an all-girls catholic school. In all honesty, college is somewhere that you can finally just be yourself.
Join A Society/ Club
Personally, I was surprised (pleasantly) with the amount of societies one can join in college. Uni life is jam packed with things you can get involved in. With a society to suit the world and its mother, you’re bound to fit something that catches your eye. Whether you’re interested in snow sports, orchestra, creative writing, accounting or paintballing, there is a club or society that will be like a second home to you. It’s a lot easier to speak to people when you have common interests and the events that each club organises every month can be some of the best nights of your life. Do what you love and you will fit right in.
Wear What You Want
Now that you’ve ditched the uniform, it’s time to open up that magical door to a whole wardrobe of possibilities. College campuses are a place to express yourself and boy, does it feel good. This place is filled with people of all shapes and sizes with different tastes and various styles. You want to wear a leather skirt and faux fur jacket? Go for it. Feeling sequins tracksuit bottoms and floral hoodie? Be my guest. Matching red top and trousers? Gimme that vibrant pop of colour, honey. Wear exactly what you want and you will fit right in. There is no one to tell you what to put on your body and no one to tell you to take it off. Free your inner fashionista.
Speak To Strangers
Sitting in a lecture hall in a pool of strangers can easily send you into a dark hole of insecurity and panic. Take a deep breath. I guarantee that you are not the only one feeling the sting of the big bad world. Sit beside someone new and introduce yourself. As silly as it sounds, saying hello can help you feel more included and less like an outcast in seconds. Convert the strangers into acquaintances and you will instantly feel a weight off your shoulders. Personally, having familiar faces around me made me feel like I could relax a little bit more. Don’t let the fear of being judged stop you from branching out and spreading those wings of friendship. Break the ice with new folks before global warming does.
Take A Chance
No one should be pressured into doing things that they do not want to do in order to fit in. Having said that, closing yourself off to new things can be dangerous. College is not only about getting the degree. It’s about finding out more about yourself and growing as a person. It’s about making friends and memories and having spent your years in the best way possible. The beauty of college is that you don’t have to fit into one category. You can be as creative, as ambitious and as rambunctious as you like while living young and wild and free. Open your mind and try new things. You might hate it, or you might fit in comfortably. What’s the worst that could happen?
Fitting in is always a worrying concept for souls of our vintage. One thing I’ve learned from my few short weeks here is that, despite my initial scepticism, there are so many ways to make yourself feel more at home. The initial transition can be weird and unsettling but don’t panic. Be yourself and let the joys of college life unfold. Enjoy the sweet taste of well-deserved freedom.
photo credit ele on unsplashed