Everyone knows that making new friends can be scary and exciting all at the same time. For a lot of first years, we’re living in one of the many residence buildings in which we are forced to socialize with people, whether that be our roommates or just people on the floor and common space.
Making new friends in your first week of school is no easy task. It’s especially not easy trying to make new friends when you don’t know anyone going to your university beforehand. And it’s really not easy when you consider yourself someone who is on the introverted side of the personality spectrum. How are you supposed to make friends then?
The roommate. We’ve all heard the stories or watched the movies where the roommates turn out to be crazy. But chances are, your roommate is probably not crazy and you are going to become friends with them, after all, you’ve got to live with them. This is the person you might share a room with, a bathroom with, or a common space with. Your roommate is the person you will likely see most often during the year. Most of the time, you’ll know your roommate ahead of the move in date. This gives you the opportunity to get to know your roommate beforehand and try to find some common interests. They’ll be your first friend in university, and maybe not your new best friend – but they’ll be someone who you will always be able to talk to.
You know those ‘silly’ events your Community Advisors set up for the floor of your residence? Go to them! It’s where you’ll meet the first people you might become friends with. These events are where you might meet people in the same program as you, or that are in one of your classes. Through that one person, you might meet more people which you might later come to be friends with. Plus, you’ll get free snacks at some of these events, and that’s a win-win for everyone.
What about the common rooms? They’re also a great way to meet people in your residence. Nine out of ten times the people who sit in the common room are in the same boat as you- they might not know many people either, which is the perfect opportunity for you to make another friend. And who knows, the friends you make in your residence building might be the people you end up sharing a house with in your future years as a university student.
And in your classes? Sit next to someone and introduce yourself. As scary as that may seem, you’re both new to the class and it doesn’t hurt to have someone to talk to throughout the term. That person might be the familiar face in the crowd you look for when you’re searching for somewhere to sit in a big lecture hall. They might also be the face you look for during the frosh week events. The people you sit next to in your classes will be the friends that you might study with, or spend four years with in the same program as you.
You might be terrified to make new friends and guess what? So are all the other people that are starting their first year too. It might be something out of your comfort zone to try and talk to new people, especially when you want to be liked. It’s the fresh start that everyone talks about and no one ever wants to mess up their fresh start. At the end of the day, we’re all trying our hardest to fit in and be liked. That’s the thing about university- you’re bound to meet people that share the same interests as you. And who knows, maybe they’ll become lifelong friends. So really, what’s the worst that could happen if you introduce yourself to someone you’ve never met before?