HERE’S THE DEAL: YOU’LL MAKE NEW FRIENDS
If the thought of showing up to college without your high school besties makes you want to run far, far away, we have a few things to tell you.
EVERYONE ELSE IS IN THE SAME BOAT.
Some people might have one or two friends from high school with them, but most will be coming in solo and eager to make new friends. Approach everything from casual chats in the Starbucks line to class projects knowing that everyone else is also on the lookout for cool people they’ll click with.
THERE’S MORE THAN ONE KIND OF FRIENDSHIP.
Your high school squad is probably comprised of people you’ve known forever—friendships rooted in a common background, knowing each others’ families and doing life together for years. That’s awesome—but that’s not the only kind of bestie a person can have. Hold on to those friendships, but also be confident that fresh ones with people from wildly different places and backgrounds who you’ve known for a couple weeks can be just as deep and wonderful.
WE MADE A MINI GUIDE TO MAKING FRIENDS IN COLLEGE.
Keep the tips below top-of-mind from your first day on campus and you’ll have a new crew in no time.
Keep your residence hall room door open. It signals to others on your hall that you’re open to making friends and they’ll take you up on it in no time.
Try not to say ‘no’ to invites for a while. It might be crazy to envision yourself hanging out with a group of strangers after just meeting them, but we suggest you rip off that Band-Aid and say ‘yes’ to hang-out invites for the first few weeks on campus. Plunge in, make friends!
Ask people to do stuff. You know you feel special when somebody goes out of their way to invite you to hang. Do that for someone else and you’ll have an instant friend.
Embrace your common interest. If you’re taking a class in your major or a neat elective, realize that you already have that interest in common with those around you. It’s like a built-in ice breaker so you can skip the awkward small talk and jump right into deeper conversations.
Clubs. Sports. Student Orgs. It’s not like trying to sit with an exclusive clique in the high school lunchroom. In college, organizations and campus involvement groups want new students to join them, so don’t be shy—you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Learning Communities are instant friend groups. LC’s are first-year students with a common interest who live in the same residence hall and even have first-semester classes together. It sets you up to start collaborating and co-creating with each other from day one—and what screams ‘BFFs’ more than that? 
