College is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone and meeting new people with different backgrounds, interests, and experiences. My friends have definitely shifted my mindset on everyday life. Throughout my time at Berkeley, here are the top four things I’ve learned from my friends that I try to establish in my daily life.
1. ASK INTERESTING QUESTIONS TO HOLD INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS
As a self-proclaimed introverted extrovert, I’ve never had issues holding conversations with new people, but rather struggled to initiate them. One thing I’ve learned from others is to just start the conversation. It doesn’t matter what you say, but once the conversation begins, at least you will have introduced yourself. I’ve always admired people who were able to ask interesting and thought-provoking questions that really allow you to get to know the person better, and it’s something I try to do when I meet new people. This could be questions about their future aspirations, anything interesting they have been recently working on, or just about side hobbies that they may have.
2. IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, JUST TRY IT
I’ve always been scared to move outside my comfort zone and challenge myself. Seeing my friends explore new career paths, getting new experiences by traveling to new places, and attending events out of curiosity, I’ve seen them grow and discover new things. This inspired me to try to embody the idea of just doing something without overthinking things. Last week, someone in my class was giving out free tickets to a comedy club in San Francisco since they couldn’t make the show last minute. I ended up going with my friend to my first comedy show and ended up having a great time, wanting to come back the week after. This was just a small step for me in being able to explore and try new things.
3. MAKE TIME FOR INTERESTS, HOBBIES, AND LEARNING
I recently visited a high school friend at her college. She told me about her friends starting a band, creating a book club together, and even having an intense Super Smash Tournament with her friend group and being the commentator. At first, I was a tad confused since these were all random hobbies or interests, but I found it entertaining. It inspired me to rethink the hobbies I liked doing, such as drawing and painting, and find new ways to get back into them.
4. LEARNING
Whether it be learning about other people or learning more about the world and history, I’ve been making more of an effort to look into events and ideas I’m curious about. Making an effort to strike up conversations with new people and reading different books and articles about things I’m interested in has led me to become someone who really values learning and asking questions.
Having met so many new people in the past three years of college, I’ve been able to reflect and learn from my friends, inspiring me to try new things. I’m really excited to continue meeting new people as my life continues to change as I grow older.