How to Make Friends as a Freshman

Have you ever asked anyone about how they met their best friend? There are so many wonderful stories about people just studying at the same learning institution and making friends with other students for life. There is always a pinch of fortunate coincidences and even complete random, but there is a lot of happy memories that people share about how they met their friend for the first time.

If you are reading this article, then you are probably looking for a piece of advice on how to start making friends when you have just entered a new institution and don’t know anyone. Moreover, with all the anxiety, pandemic, and online classes around. Here are a few tips for you that we want to share.

Talk to Your Roommates

We know that not every learning institution is working the same in the pandemic circumstances, and not every dorm is opened for living. But if you have an opportunity to talk to a roommate or a flatmate, then you have something to start with.

As a freshman, you might feel anxiety and frustration. It’s not surprising, considering the number of new things and people in your life. All the schedules, classes, and changes that you need to get used to are not the best helpers in the process of making friends, and we know that. However, all you need to do is to start.

A casual conversation with some people around you is a good start. Even if you don’t like the vibes that your roommate gives you, you at least can be later introduced to the wider circle of people that your flatmate or roommate hangs out with. What might also happen is when you learn more about the person who you live with, you will be glad to have such a friend.

Talk to People in Your Group

Even though now classes are mostly held online, it doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to people who you take the same classes with. You will eventually talk during the work on group projects, but you can also talk to them outside of classes.

Search for people from your group on social media. Starting a conversation online is much easier than talking in real life, so you will definitely feel less stressed. What can you talk about when just starting to know each other? Here are a few things that you can discuss:

• Freshman experience. People who just entered college are just the same as you are and experience the same difficulties. This is something in common that you have and something that you will be glad to share with each other.
• Music playlists. Playlists for studying, working out, or just chilling – share your favorite music and learn about favorite music artists of your peers.
• Good humor is a good helper in building a new relationship. Use it to make contact with people and let them know that you are also in trend with the latest memes.
• Sports or art achievements. Your peers probably have a lot of hobbies to talk about. This is a great conversation-starter
• Building a team for playing online games. Spending a few hours in an online game can really bring people together.

As you can see, there are a lot of things that you can talk about even if you don’t know each other well enough. It doesn’t matter what the format of conversation it is – an online chatting, video call, or offline communication in the dining hall – all you need to do is to be friendly and open for new communication.

Join a Club

Your learning institution probably has a lot of activities and clubs to offer. Various sororities and fraternities, sports clubs, and hobby groups are a great place to find new friends. You can ask your group mates what clubs they joined or ask your academic advisor for a complete list.

During the pandemic, it might not be that easy to join such a club. Many activities were canceled due to restrictions. However, an online community is still there – take advantage of modern technology to be socially active even when the obstacles are on your way. Never give up and be yourself – there is nothing better than staying true to yourself in order to make new friends. You can do it! Good luck!