Making friends in college can seem difficult and intimidating and it can feel isolating. The reality, though, is that everyone is actually feeling the same way and everyone wants to make friends! If you are looking to make friends but aren’t sure how to go about it, keep reading! This advice is for you.
Break the Ice
To make friends you have to talk to people. It can be as simple as complimenting someone’s shoes on your way to class or asking to join in on someone’s TikTok. Really, all you need is to be willing to talk to anybody and everybody you cross paths with.
You also need to have the mindset that you are not weird for talking to random people! A lot of people are nervous to talk to other people so why not be the one to break the ice?
Leave Your Dorm Room
To meet people you have to leave your dorm room! You can meet new people anywhere on campus. If you live on campus, you can start by meeting the people in your hallway or the lobby of your residence hall. Offer some of your ramen noodles or cheez-its to floormates! Take a late-night trip to Taco Bell or Waffle House! Using food to create new friendships is almost always guaranteed to work successfully.
Social Media Friends
To make friends in college, you can initiate friendships through social media. My new friend, Addie, direct messaged me on Instagram and said, “This might be weird, but I think you’re really fun and that we could be really good friends so I think we should hang sometime.” This message made my week and I didn’t think it was weird at all!
Put Yourself Out There
Getting involved on campus is one of the best ways to make friends. If you are getting involved in an organization that you are interested in, you are going to make other friends who share the same interests as you!
For instance, if you are interested in student government, campaigning will bring you multiple opportunities to meet new people while you are working to earn their vote. If elected, you will meet other people in the senate and you will meet people at the service projects and tabling events that you will participate in.
Get Involved
One of the ways I have made a lot of my friends is through intramural sports. I play any and every sport possible whether I am good at it or not. They never said you have to have skill to play intramurals. I always talk to referees and players from other teams and many of them have become my friends and have even asked me to play on their teams later on!
One of the best things about intramural sports is that you don’t have to be really good to play. I know some boys who played 3 on 3 basketball last year and committed solely to shooting trick shots in all of their games. It is so simple to just have fun and make new friendships while bonding over sports.
Whether it’s through bonding over snacks or intramurals, sliding into someone’s DMs, or joining the same student organization, there are many ways to make friends in college. You just have to be bold enough to put yourself out there and remember – you aren’t in this alone.
By: Brittany Shannon
Brittany is a junior from Clinton, AR. She is a Student Government Association Senator and is a member of Phi Mu fraternity, ATU Presidential Leadership Cabinet, and the National Society of Leadership and Success.
