Members of younger generations can be more connected through technology than they are to one another. In many ways, it’s a shame; young people can’t help the time period in which we were born or the advances that have been made over our lifetime. Love it or hate it, this digital age is increasingly coming to define us, and nowhere is this more evident than the first year of college.
For those of us just starting out, it’s the first time we’ve had to intentionally set out to make friends since we’ve joined Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. We were still relatively new to these platforms when we were making friends in high school, and especially middle school, but once you get to college, you realize how much harder it is to put yourself out there after spending four years with the same friends and consumed in the realm of social media.
Luckily, there are ways to still break out of this media bubble many of us have found ourselves in. It can be either a tool or a setback depending on how you look at it, but I think there is value in using socials to your advantage. Nonetheless, technology can only get us so far in establishing real and meaningful human connections. College is the time to set your pride aside and make yourself a bit vulnerable. While this has been said countless times before and is no doubt easier said than done, it’s the truth. Over the course of my college experience, I’ve taken note of the ways in which I have met new people — both with and without the help of my phone — and have compiled them into the most concrete ideas possible to help you put yourself out there too.
This is maybe one of the most effortless and obvious ways to make friends. Spend your first couple days of class scouting out the room (or Zoom boxes), and making note of both people you might get along with as well as those who seem committed and involved with the class. Make a deal with yourself to get even just one person’s Snapchat. Talk with them, make plans to get coffee and study for an upcoming test or do homework together. As the class goes on, add more people to your study circle if you can. Don’t limit yourself to just the people in class, though. If someone in the hall compliments you, or the person working the desk at the front office seems cool, ask for their Snapchats too.
Tutoring positions, student life activities, and community service groups are all great ways to meet people. Look into the work study opportunities at your school, and if you’re able, apply for ones that include socialization. Public relations, student newspapers and other publicity groups are an especially great place to start. With these groups, you will often be required to seek out students to meet one on one for your stories, interviews or events. These types of groups and events are great ways to expand your reach on campus and will allow you to meet athletes, other work studies and people you otherwise might not have met.
If you can’t find a club or job that forces you out beyond your typical social groups, take a class that will. Before the end of your first year in college, you will be well acquainted with your major, and know many of your peers fairly well. Odds are, these are going to be the people you spend the next 2-6 years with, so it’s good to get out of your comfort zone by taking a class that will expose you to new students. If you are an art major, take an auto class. If you are studying science, take a language class. Purposefully look for classes that are not directly related to your field of study. The more you can do this, the more opportunities you will give yourself to make new friends.
Odds are if you’re on social media (Twitter especially) you’ve come across people from school you don’t really know, but always post funny, endearing or interesting things. Instead of admiring from afar, start a conversation with them. Don’t be afraid to DM people that you see go to your school. But be safe! Plan to meet in public places on campus or around town until you know the person well.
More likely than not, what you expect or want out of college will change within your first month, and change every month or so from that point on. You are growing and changing as a person in more ways than you can imagine or will even realize at the time. In terms of meeting people, don’t limit yourself to finding the kinds of people you hung out with in high school, and let go of any expectations of who you want to meet or relationships you want to build. There’s no place for stigmas, stereotypes or preconceived notions in college. Try any and everything that you can.
This article originally ran on trib.com.
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