Welcome to the Ask an Exec series: a series where I ask our UNT Her Campus leadership team questions about their lives and their advice for new students!
Hawanatou Sheriff is UNT’s Her Campus Membership Chair and a vital part of the team of amazing women that make up the Her Campus exec board. She is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and has a minor in marketing. As membership chair, Hawa connects with Her Campus members and ensures that all membership requirements are being met. Today, Hawa brings us some insight into how new students can find their place in college, and how to find friends on a campus that can be intimidatingly big.
Going into college can be a scary experience, especially when you don’t know many people. For Hawa, the transition from high school to college was an apprehensive one. “That was probably one of my biggest fears, losing my confidence,” she said. “I was scared that I wasn’t going to talk to people as much because college is a whole different [experience]. It’s not like high school. In high school, I was very much one to talk, go up to people and introduce myself. I thought in college, I was not going to be able to do that.” After getting into college, however, Hawa found her fears were unfounded. “I literally just go up to anybody I see that looks interesting, or similar to me, and I go up, say hi, and start up a conversation.”
But where do you find friends? Who do you talk to? Often, finding people in the same classes or organizations as you and bonding with them is the way to go. “I ended up finding friends in my class. Two of my closest friends were in my math class for my first semester, and now I’m basically rooming with them,” Hawa said. Sometimes, though, you just need to reach out to someone you see, even if you don’t know them from anywhere. “[As for] my other closest friends, I found them in the union, literally just sitting there eating. They were right next to me, and we just started up a conversation.”
If you’re having trouble making friends in your classes, there are other places you can go to meet new people. Joining an organization can give you a network of people with similar interests, cultural backgrounds, and even career plans to connect with. Hawa has some advice on which ones can help you out the most. “First, you should join [an organization] that’s close to your major. For me, I’m a journalism major, so there are black journalist organizations or women journalist organizations. Also, Her Campus–I’m a marketing minor, and we have a lot to do with journalism, marketing, all that. Definitely join an org that’s close to your major, because you’re going to find people with the same interests as you.” Hawa also recommends joining one of the many cultural organizations on UNT’s campus.
Now, you might be reading this article and thinking to yourself, This is all great advice, but what if I’m anxious about talking to new people? You’re not alone. Many new students, and even upperclassmen, are afraid to talk to new people and possibly embarrass themselves. Hawa recommends being brave and talking to people anyway, even if you’re scared. “Go up to somebody who you think looks interesting, who you think is similar to you, and just go talk to them. Start up a [conversation]. I feel like that would help, because throughout the conversation, you’ll probably feel more comfortable with them, and it won’t be so scary. It was just you overthinking and getting to yourself.”
No matter where you go to find friends, Hawa has one big piece of advice: “Just be yourself. Don’t try to change who you are to fit in with a certain group of people, how they look or how they talk. Don’t do any of that. Just be your exact self, and you will find your place no matter what.”