It’s the start of a brand-new semester!
… Okay. This post is about a week too late. Even so, I’m hyped about the opportunity to see all of my old friends and make new ones. When I came to college, I thought all of my friends would be made in the fall semester of my freshman year. It was a pleasant surprise to make a whole bunch of friends during the spring of my junior year!
So, whether you’re a fresh-faced freshman or a “sayonara!” senior, here are the best ways to make new friends this semester!
1. Club Fair
I listed this one first, because the club fair comes up pretty quickly at the beginning of each fall semester. Still, it’s so important that students of all years attend this event. Even if you’re already a board member of fifteen clubs, signing up for mailing lists is one of the fastest ways to know what’s happening on campus.
The great thing about the club fair is that there is no obligation to attend meetings for every club you show interest in! Part of the college experience is picking and choosing what your true interests are. You might think you have five left feet but find lifelong friends in a beginner contemporary Emotion dance. Or you might overcome stage fright by joining one of the campus acapella groups.
New clubs crop up every year, so who knows? Maybe this is the semester that someone finally started that scented marker fan club you’ve dreamed about.
2. Campus Jobs
Want to earn money while making friends? Don’t we all. Luckily for you, E-town offers an almost overwhelming amount of jobs and positions to students from all years and majors. Love socializing and have a knack for marketing? Train to be a campus tour guide! Trying to embrace your night owl-ness? Apply for a Student Patrol Officer position through Campus Security. Want to plan events and meet students from all across campus? Talk to a Resident Assistant or Office of Student Activities member and find out what works! Jobs in Dining Services are a fast way to make friends and money, especially if you’re a first-year student. No matter what job you take, you’re bound to make plenty of friends.
3. Dorm Events
RAs aren’t just there to unlock your doors when you lock yourself out (although that is a rite of passage for college students). Throughout the year, they’ll host plenty of events for the dorm community—events that are well-attended. After all, what better way to unite a bunch of 18- to 20-year-olds than by leading the lobby in a rousing rendition of Vanessa Carlton’s “1000 Miles”?
If you’re busy during pancake and paint nights, grab some construction paper and enter a door decoration contest, or tape up a handmade mailbox outside your room and wait for the Valentines to roll in!
Or, if none of the events tickle your fancy, talk to your RA about hosting a different type of activity. Maybe you’ll be the person to kick-start an annual Super Bowl Viewing Party, or an overly-intense ping pong tournament that results in several injuries by tiny plastic ball.
4. OSA Events
Walk into the BSC. Stand in the central walkway and stare up. You’re surrounded.
(By posters).
The Office of Student Activities hosts events planned by students, for students. The colorful posters cycled through each week advertise all kinds of fun games and trips. OSA takes students to New York City and the Philadelphia Zoo, offers Hersheypark in the Dark tickets and emcees Bingo and The Price is Right.
While those last two events are fairly cutthroat, all of the cheering and jeering (and the tightly-packed rooms) almost force you to make new friends. OSA hosts such a variety of events, you’re certain to find something you’ll enjoy.