Welcome back from break, everyone – and all the new transfer students as well! This week’s chapter is actually very fitting for you new students, The Naked Roommate: and 107 other issues you might run into in college by Harlan Cohen, and that would be finding friends. With the second semester just starting up, we are meeting new people in our classes and maybe even our dorms depending if any new students just moved in. Here are the top two tips from the book on finding friends:
Shopping for new friends: this section talks about putting yourself out into the mix, by joining clubs, or even just by going and sitting with someone that’s eating alone, but ask them first! Most college kids come to school friendless. They need friends, and unless you’re accessible and available to be met, they can’t meet you. Beware: not all friends you make the first year will become lifelong friends.
Friend today, gone tomorrow: not everyone you meet will be a life-long friend, and many of the friendships that don’t last also don’t end badly. Lots of those friendships end by people simply growing apart, not having enough time to hang out, or not having classes together. College friends from the first year of school are like the weather—hard to predict. They blow in and blow out without notice, and they run hot and cold.
Finding friends can be the hard part, but keeping them can be a problem too if you don’t put in the time and the effort. Some people you meet will always be “hi” friends but others will be your bridesmaids or groomsmen in your wedding. It might take all four years to figure it out, but you will eventually.