They said making friends would be easy. No. We are no longer in kindergarten anymore where you meet your new best friend by borrowing a yellow crayon to color in Princess Belle’s dress. The most important lesson your parents probably taught you when you were little was to share with other kids and that’s how you make friends. At the age of five it is “cute” when you borrow from your neighbor, but 15 years later when you forget a pencil for lecture all of sudden you become “that guy” where it is socially unacceptable to be anything less then prepared. So, as we begin a new semester with new classes here are a few easy tips to find a buddy to struggle right alongside you.
Be blind.
Ok, now take a deep breath. No I did not mean be blind in the literal sense, but having a slight sight impairment or pretending that you have one could definitely work towards your advantage. If you are wearing glasses and sitting in the front of a lecture hall this is probably not the best option to make new friends because you probably look like an idiot who needs a new prescription. Who told you sitting in the back of a classroom is a bad idea? By having absolutely no idea if the PowerPoint is saying “revolution” or “resolution” gives you the perfect opportunity to lean over, ask your neighbor and there begins the creation to a new friendship.
Cover your laptop in stickers.
If you are too worried about looking “basic”, get over yourself. Our whole generation is “basic”, I mean we are referred to as 90’s babies, and that’s a whole other story in itself, so get on with it and start decorating. Seeing a TV show, sport or Greek life sticker on the laptop of a person sitting next to you can give you easy access to an instant conversation starter. Having the talent to binge watch Netflix comes in handy when it comes to this because you now have the ability to connect over anything from Friends to Grey’s Anatomy. Asking them where they got one of their stickers may just help you find your Christina Yang.
Have absolutely no idea what is going on.
Although this may not be the best policy for your grades, on the other hand it may help to find a new study buddy who can struggle through the next couple months of the semester. When looking at it, if you have absolutely no clue what is going on in your lecture chances are someone sitting next to you is in the same boat. This provides the perfect chance to turn to your neighbor and bond over the shared confusion you are both feeling during class.
