Let’s be honest here: college is full of the most interesting people, and also some of the most annoying. Possibly for the first time, parents are no longer directly involved in the decision-making process of picking friends. Now, it can be difficult to select friends whom you connect deeply with – especially in the beginning when having to sift through bunches of acquaintances to find out which friends are best for you.
Therefore, it can be challenging to find a group of friends with whom you really connect.
In my experience, in today’s society the best friends in life are not the super talented or famous students on campus. Nor are the greatest friends those who leave when life becomes difficult.
No, the greatest friends in the world are nerds.
Yes, you heard that correctly: nerds.
Call people who prefer spending more time in their favorite books, movies, television shows, video games, etc. what you will: nerds, geeks, crazy psychos, whatever. The fact remains that these people are the ones who tend to stick around when life gets tough and you need to relax and remember to enjoy life.
So without further suspense, here are five reasons why nerds make the best of friends:
1. No matter where one goes, friends can always be made simply by bringing up a common interest.
Nerds seem to be the only people who can make new friends wherever they go. All one has to do is bring up a few topics and see if anyone else latches on in excitement and then, bam, an instant friend for life has been made.
2. They do not care about your political beliefs.
In our world today, political beliefs tend to play a large role in determining whether people become friends or whether friends for life have been driven apart. Nerds, however, simply do not care whether or not you voted Republican or Democratic in the latest election, they just care about your favorite characters, your explanations for why you like those characters, if you’re a genuinely nice person, and if you want to hang out.
3. Knowledge is openly shared.
While this point is sadly not true of every single nerd, the majority of fellow nerds you run into are more than willing to bring newcomers into their fandom and answer any and all questions you may have concerning plot, character development, fan theories, and the difference between canon and alternate universes.
4. You can come as you are.
Most nerds do not care whether a person is a good cosplayer or not, the only thing that matters is that you are enjoying yourself. While there will always be a few snobs, the majority of fandom people just like seeing how different people approach characters. You never have to worry about “being too nerdy” around your geeky friends because “being too nerdy” does not exist.
5. Everyone is welcome.
Nerds are basically the only group that is actually willing to accept any person. Gender, religion, shape and size, etc. does not matter. The only thing that actually matters is that you have fun.
So next time you want to hang out with people who will not judge you – not even for your beloved, morally-questionable, favorite characters – wander around campus and find the nerds: you’ll be glad you did.
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