The first semester of freshman year can be a lot. You are adjusting to being at a completely new school, surrounded by completely new people, living in a new environment, and having a level of independence that you have most likely never had before. While the first semester can be really exciting, it can also be tough.
I personally did not have the easiest experience. It took me almost my entire freshman year to feel truly comfortable at college, especially in terms of navigating the difficult terrain of college social life. So if you are a girl looking back on a tough first semester of college, I have been there and know that it can feel discouraging. Now that I am in my second semester of sophomore year, I can say that it does not need to stay that way. Just because you did not have a great first semester of college does not mean you will not have a good college experience. As someone who has been through this, here is what I would tell any freshman girl who had a tough first semester.
join student organizations
This is probably one of the best things you can do if you are trying to meet more friends because you will meet people that you otherwise never would have met. You need to put yourself out there if you want to meet new people. Plenty of people join new clubs during spring semester, so do not feel weird about joining a club in the middle of the year. It is never too late to get more involved on campus. I want to also point out that it is really important to join a club that meets at least once a week. If you are only in a club that meets twice a month, you may not make many actual friends from it. If you are in a club that meets at least once a week, you are going to be seeing the same people frequently and will likely make some friends. Overall, make sure to join a student organization of some sort, whether it is a club, intramural/club sports team, sorority, or something else where you will be meeting with the same people.
Going off of that, I would recommend trying out multiple student organizations, not just one. This way you are able to see what groups of people you get along with the best and also get to meet a lot of new people. The first student organization you try out may not be the one you end up liking the most. You may have to try out a few different student organizations before you find one that you feel like you fit well into. If you consistently went to some student organizations first semester and did not find any friends at them, I would recommend trying out some other student organizations because you may find people that you click better with. However, also remember that friendship takes time and you need to be patient. Sometimes you find people that you become super close with very quickly, but other times it takes some time before you truly become friends.Â
SOLIDARITY
Please remember that most people in college are not constantly with their friends. It is normal to have lunch alone sometimes. It is normal to not have a friend in every single class. It is normal to have your own routine in college. And honestly, I think it can be enjoyable to have your own routine and do things on your own sometimes. Do not put the pressure on yourself to be with friends twenty four seven because it is simply not realistic.
I want to encourage any freshman girl that it does get better. I’ve met several friends during my sophomore year, so the second semester of freshman year is most definitely not too late to meet new people. You just need to make sure that you are putting yourself out there and consistently putting yourself in places where you can meet new friends.
Remember that a tough first semester, or even a tough first year of college, will not stop you from having a great college experience!
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