Lesson 2: The Search for Food and Comfort: Making Friends
You have a million things going on in your life as soon as you hit your campus. For some food and friends are top priorities, while others are so wrapped up in their new life they do not even notice a lack of both!
This lesson is meant to give you some helpful pointers on how to make sure you have a healthy dose of both.
Introduction
It can seem like a hideous task to make friends while all you see are groups of people who seemingly know each other for a lifetime. Don’t fret; chances are they only just met! For many people college is a way of starting over; were you teased in high school? Or just ignored? Or shy? Guess what! Nobody will know about it! So you can start over!
The key thing is to master some concepts popular people seem to be born with. Take one step at a time when building a social circle, and be proud of every achievement. Whether that is saying “hi” to someone new, or getting your first A.
If you used to be Miss/Mr. popular in high school, don’t bank on everything staying the same when getting to college. Especially if you are moving away you might want to observe before you act, you’re familiar moves might come across weird in a different state/country. I am not saying not to be yourself, but sometimes you do have to adjust to your new environment just like everyone else.
Get priorities straight as soon as you start planning. If you stay in the area, make sure your old friends are not your only friends. It is a new experience; make sure you use it to the fullest in more than the academic sense. Especially if your friends go to the same college, there is the danger you will spend time with only them. Granted it feels safer to be around familiar people, at this point in your life you need to get out there and make new contacts. You never know who of those college freshmen will end up in a position where you could very well use your college networking to an advantage.
Sometimes friends can be offended when you spend less time with them and talk about your new buddies. This can especially be the case if your friends do not go to college or attend the same college. They want to keep you to themselves, and get jealous if someone else tries to “steal” you away from them. To easy the pain, make sure you do spend time with old friends. Even if you move away call them regularly or email and use instant messaging services to stay in touch. If they go to a different college you can exchange stories and this can definitely strengthen your bond. However, if you feel you are making a lot more new friends than your old buddy is, don’t talk about that topic too much. You will only make them feel inferior and perhaps insecure. If your friend is having a hard time adjusting to post-high school-life, whether that is in college or not, it is not a good thing to get carried away in the “guess what I and so-and-so did after class yesterday!”
Instead listen what they have to say about their experiences. If you feel like there is something you did that really kicked off your social life, pass it on!
