You’re a freshman in college. You’re probably getting all kinds of advice about how to not get lost on campus and which is the best dining hall to eat at. (Harcombe or Schilletter? One day you will likely have an adamant opinion on this subject.)  You’re probably hearing all kinds of inside tibits like what to wear to parties, details about rush and advice about your classes (Norts and a t-shirt will become your best friend).

But I want to give you a different kind of advice that might be a little more meaningful. Advice I wish I would have been given before starting my freshman year: While this may sound a little dumb to some, I have a hunch that a few of you might feel the same way I felt when starting out at Clemson.

I grew up in a small town where I’d known most of my friends since elementary school.  I had grown so comfortable knowing everyone I was around that when I got to college, I kind of felt like I had forgotten how to make friends. To make sure you don’t feel the same way, I want to give you a little advice on how to make friends in college.  

This bit of advice is probably the most valuable: Make friends sooner rather than later.  Put forth the effort in the beginning of the year while everyone is in the same boat and no one has found their clique yet.  The beginning of the year is the perfect time to put yourself out there. (I promise you the girls on your hall are just as excited and eager to make new friends as you are.) The first people you meet may not become your best friends, but you won’t make any friends if you don’t put yourself out there. 

This second piece of advice I’m sure you’ve heard before, but in case it didn’t stick with you after the 1,000 times your mom has said it to you, I’ll say it again. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.  College isn’t like high school where you have classes with the same people year after year.  In college, you get to pick your friends among 20,000 other students.  Odds are, at least one of those 20,000 is going to like you!  So don’t be afraid to smile or start up conversation with a stranger. Who knows? Maybe that first conversation will be the start of a life-long friendship. 

My final words of wisdom are to get involved in everything and anything that interests you.  What your parents say is true; you are going to college for school to make good grades and to one day get a good job.  But college is also a time for fun and the time where you will grow the most and learn the most about yourself. Whether your interest is rock-climbing, politics, fashion, or poetry, there is a niche at Clemson for you. There are countless clubs and groups that exist specifically because other people have the same interests as you. (Now that’s a lot of friend potential!)  

After you graduate, I guarantee you that the highlights of your college career aren’t going to be the number of times you aced a math test, or the number of times you sat alone in the library wishing you had a study buddy. You’re going to remember the times you spent with your friends and the foolish things you did when you were young. So be silly, be crazy, make friends, and make memories.  Because these next four years aren’t going to last forever, but the memories you make and the friends you made them with will.

Photo courtesy of glassdoor.com.