Freshman year in college is something I will remember forever. This is the start of new experiences, meeting new people, and starting your path to your career. When asked to describe my college experience in one word I often struggle to come up with that word. Everyone’s college experience is different, many people might hate it and many people love it. One thing I struggled with when coming to college was making friends. Coming in as a freshman is so nerve-racking. There’s so much change, like a new environment, classes, the coursework, and making new friends which is a big part of freshman year. I personally didn’t know too many people coming into my freshman year here, so I was worried about making new friends. My hometown friends have been my best friends since middle school, and I never have moved in my life where I had to meet new people, so making friends was something new to me. My personality is very reserved, so starting at a brand new school I knew I needed to be more open and put myself out there. The first few weeks were definitely challenging for me with being in a new atmosphere, adjusting to class work, and just finding a new schedule that worked for me. Lots of people may come to college and instantly find their friend groups but for some people it can take time, and that’s what I kept reminding myself. I knew I needed to have an open mind set and realistic expectations. Here are some tips that helped me get out of my comfort zone and meet people: reach out to people in your classes to get lunch or study, go to a hall event that your RA put together, join a club and or other activities they have on campus, and just be yourself. It can be nervous in the beginning approaching people, but you don’t know what other people are going through, it might end up making their day if you ask to grab lunch, or study. My college puts together a day called U-day which is a day where you can get to know all the different clubs and activities the school has to offer. During U-day I got to talk to some girls from Hercampus and knew I wanted to join. If your school offers a day like that to go and see all the activities they have to offer I advocate you to check it out.It’s best to get as involved as possible, do stuff that you never thought you would, join a club that your high school never offered, because this is where you can meet some of your life long friends. Another thing if your school offers it is getting involved in Greek life. I decided to join a sorority spring semester and it definitely helped me get out of my comfort zone and meet so many new people. Making friends for some people can be hard, but just remember to put in effort, be your true self, and get involved.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.