One of the most nerve-wracking things about going to a new school is making friends. No matter how independent you are, it’s nice to know that there are people who will watch your back and be there to talk to when you’ve had a not-so-great night last night. Luckily, college’s answer to this friendship dilemma includes Orientation and Welcome Week. At both events, you meet more people and get more names thrown at you than you know what to do with! But what happens if you didn’t meet as many people as you would’ve liked during those events? Or what if you just weren’t yourself during those events and you just didn’t step out of your comfort zone? You probably feel as though you’ve missed the window to make friends, but that’s definitely not the case! Here are five tips to help you get out there and make more friends:
1. Introduce yourself to people in class. This could come in handy for two reasons. For one thing, you’re meeting new people and, hopefully, fostering new friendships. Second, it’s nice having someone to study with or tell you what you missed while you were daydreaming. Oops!
2. Keep your eyes peeled for open doors. Believe it or not, people are still keeping their doors open. When I first got to Northeastern, I would walk into any open door I saw on my floor. It may seem odd at first. And you may feel like you’re not welcome. But if the door’s open, then you shouldn’t feel weird about walking in.
3. Keep your door open. But what if you walk down the hall and don’t see any open doors? Then keep yours open! It works, trust me.
4. Join clubs and sports. But don’t just join, contribute. Introduce yourself and be a participating member. Just showing up won’t guarantee you friends. Just contributing might not even guarantee you friends. You have to make the conscious effort to get to know the people that you’re choosing to spend you free time with!
5. Above all, have confidence! I met so many people during Welcome Week and Orientation, including a bunch of people that I haven’t seen or talked to since. As of right now, I have a core group of friends, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to let more people in. You’ll find, soon enough, that you’re not alone in wanting to meet more people. There’s always an opportunity to branch out; welcome to college! But you have to take those chances. Don’t assume that people aren’t willing to get to know you anymore. A few of my closest friends are people I met well after welcome week!