While for some people there is no big deal to start a new friendship, others find it quite embarrassing to make new friends, especially in some unfamiliar surrounding. For this reason, most freshers, who left their homes and close-knit people, with whom they felt comfortable, experience unpleasant anxiety while trying to get new friends in college. To help you reduce that annoying fear of starting socializing with your peers, we suggest you some useful tips on how to make friends in college.
- Set Realistic Expectations. Stop dreaming about huge parties, where you can immediately become friends with a bunch of diverse interesting people or unbelievable popularity that you will gain simply because of being a newbie. If you want to be noticed and build a strong networking with other students, start acting. There are hundreds of people having the same fear to be rejected or seem stupid while getting new friends at the beginning of a studying year. Instead of staying silent aside, try introducing yourself. There is nothing easier than saying “hi” to start a conversation, which may turn into a lifelong friendship.
- Get to know some people before the beginning of the school year. To reduce that nervously overwhelming feeling connected with an unknown surrounding, try to contact with some of your future group mates or roommates before the studying actually starts. Such an acquaintance in advance will for sure make you feel more secure and confident when you arrive to the new town.
- Use Social Media. Another way to get to know more people in college is to perform a search on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using a corresponding #hashtag or joining your college’s or department’s official page. It is also a great way to follow the latest news concerning your students’ life and keep updated all the time.
- Be Easy to Reach and Talk. Obviously, it will be extremely difficult to make friends in case you pretend to be an all-know arrogant personality, who isn’t interested in idle talks and prefers to spend time alone rather than waste it on unreasonable acquaintance. In order to make new friends, it is significant to show people your good intentions like willingness to help with home assignment, lend a frying pan to your roommate or neighbor in the dorm or simply being a polite positive person.
- Get Involved. To make your first attempts of making new friends less challenging, look for people with the same interests. For this, be curious about available on your campus sports, discussion, acting, singing or any other clubs and groups in order to spend time with people, who are on the same wavelength with you. It is much easier to find friends among people with whom you have something in common. Get involved to broaden your circle of acquaintances.
Remember, you are not the only person, who experiences that awkward feeling of the necessity of finding potential friends or taking an initiative step to start a friendship with someone. Realize the fact that in such situation it is crucial to stay open with others and use every single opportunity to meet new people, with whom you may become close friends in the future.