There’s something quite strange about thinking of all the people you haven’t met yet.
Somewhere on campus, someone is probably having their usual Tuesday,
completely unaware that, in a few months, they’ll become one of your favourite
people. Maybe you’ll meet them in a lecture, at a party, through a mutual friend, or
because you both happened to join the same society. And before you know it,
someone who was once a complete stranger becomes part of your everyday life.
Sometimes, when I think about the friends I’ve made at university, I realise just how
random everything was. I’ve met so many people since starting college, and it’s
funny to think about how many seemingly insignificant things had to happen for
some of these friendships to exist. For me, you could say it all started with some
Germans and a debating class.
I wasn’t actually meant to be in that debating class, but I stayed because it was more
convenient than the one I was supposed to attend. There, I met a bunch of French
students who eventually became the reason I met one of my closest friends. And
through her, I met the rest of our little group. Looking back, it’s almost ridiculous how
many things had to fall into place for us to meet. What’s even funnier is that some of
us had already been in the same places before we became friends, or even spoke to
each other. Two of my closest friends were studying the same degree as me, just in
different years, yet we met in the most random ways that had nothing to do with what
we were studying. Had I switched classes, missed a conversation, or simply decided
to stay home that day, things might have turned out differently.
Of course, we can’t know how our lives would have unfolded otherwise, but there’s
something quite sweet about realising that some of your favourite memories began
with decisions you barely thought twice about.
University has a funny way of turning strangers into familiar faces.
At first, campus is full of people you don’t know. You walk past hundreds of faces, sit
beside strangers in lectures, and attend events where you recognise absolutely
nobody. Then, gradually, something changes. You start noticing the same person in
different classes. Someone you once spoke to at an event suddenly appears at
every party. You find out that a friend of a friend is also in your course, or that the
person you keep seeing at the gym is actually in one of your lectures or friends with
someone you know!
It’s almost as if, with university, you suddenly unlock a character in a video game,
and now you keep bumping into them everywhere, even in places completely
unrelated to college.
And sometimes, all it takes is one interaction for everything to change. A
conversation after a lecture becomes an invitation for coffee or a party. A shared
interest at a society meeting becomes a weekly tradition. An acquaintance you
barely remember meeting becomes the person you call when you’ve had a terrible
day.
What’s particularly interesting is that these friendships don’t always develop where
we expect them to. We might arrive at university thinking we’ll meet our people in our
lectures, only to find them in the most random ways. We might go to an event
because someone we know is going, only to leave having met someone who shares
our sense of humour. Sometimes, we even meet people through connections that
don’t last, but that still bring something meaningful into our lives.
It’s easy to think that making friends at university requires actively searching for
them. And while putting yourself out there certainly helps, I think we sometimes
forget that friendships also need room to happen naturally. Not every conversation
has to become something significant, and not every acquaintance has to turn into a
lifelong friendship. Sometimes, you just have to be willing to show up, talk to
someone new, or say yes to an invitation you might otherwise have declined.
After all, you can’t know which seemingly ordinary interaction will eventually become
a significant part of your life.
There’s also something quite reassuring about remembering this when university
doesn’t quite feel the way you imagined it would. Maybe you’ve been there for
months and still haven’t found your people. Maybe everyone seems to have their
own group already, and you’re wondering whether you’ve missed your chance to find
yours.
But friendships aren’t a race, and there’s no deadline for meeting people who make
you feel at home. If there’s one piece of advice I could give, it’s to put yourself out
there. Join a new society, try new things, be open to meeting people from different
backgrounds, and share experiences with people you might not otherwise have
crossed paths with. Don’t be afraid to step outside what’s familiar. You never know
what might come of it.
They say that your university years are some of the most formative of your life, and
that you learn a lot along the way. For me, much of that learning has come from the
people I’ve met. My programme is very international, and I’ve met so many people
from different countries and backgrounds. Most of them aren’t in my life anymore,
and others might not be for much longer. But I’m forever grateful for what I’ve learnt
from them, the experiences we’ve shared, and the different perspectives they’ve
introduced me to. Not everyone is meant to stay, but that doesn’t make the time you
spend together any less meaningful.
So, if you’re reading this and wondering where your university experience is going to
take you, remember that your story is still unfolding. Somewhere, there are people
you haven’t met yet who might one day become your favourite people to dance with,
study with, or simply sit beside when neither of you feels like talking.
You just haven’t crossed paths yet.
And isn’t that sweet?