When I came to West Virginia University, I knew no one from my hometown that would be attending the same school as me. I had a fresh start to make new friends, and discover more about myself. In doing so, I have realized that there is a common trend that most college freshman have when it comes to the types of friends that they meet.
1. Your Freshman Roommate
GiphyYour freshman roommate may be the only person you know going into your first year of college. Hopefully you have talked a little with them before you move in with them. There are two different paths that your roomie friendship can go down
Path #1: For the first few weeks of school, all you will do is stay up all night and talk to them about every little detail of your life so far. They will become your irreplaceable best friend who knows absolutely all of your secrets. Through time, you will both find other friends who you might be able to spend more time with, but you will always have a special bond.
Path #2: Your roommate will be your closest companion, until you find other friends that you get along with better. Having a roommate can be hard, especially if their lifestyle does not match your own. If your roommate does not become your best friend, that is completely normal and you will be able to find ways to coexist. You can always change rooms the next semester or find an apartment without them the following year.
2. Your First Semester Friends
GiphyYour first semester friends will most likely be those on the same floor of your hall or in the same building as you. For the entire first semester you will cling to these friends for entertainment and fun, no matter if you have anything in common with them. As I have found, the more you start experiencing these friends, the more you realize that they do not have a lot in common with yourself. This is completely normal, as you were looking for friends in the moment and not considering what makes you happy or the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. My entire group of first semester friends had broken apart and found a new group by the time we had reached our second semester.
3. Your Second Semester Friends
Your second semester friends differ greatly from those you met in your first semester. These friends are those that you share everything with, study with, and have a lot of fun with. These are the people that you will have by your side for the rest of your life. They will help to push you in ways you never have been before and always be at your side when you need them. My second semester friends are the best people that I have met here at WVU, and I plan on keeping them as my closest friends.
4. Your Club Friends
You will meet friends through many clubs, sports, or other activities that you partake in outside of class. Going to practice, social events, and working on community service projects with these friends will be the highlight of the week. These friends will be considered separate from all the others, and are easy to get along with them because of the common interest that has brought you together.
5. Your Classroom Friends
You will find yourself sitting next to the same people in each of your classes, and you will grow to be close with them as the semester progresses. They will be your go-to for all of your questions about assignments, quizzes, and tests, and you will all work together to get an A. They will be the people you rely on most for your classes. Sometimes these friends turn into your second semester friends, but most of my classroom friendships have ended with the class and never turned into anything more.
6. Your Lab Partners
Your science lab partners will be the only friends that you will have to depend heavily on. Even though they might not be the closest friends that you have during college, you need to be able to find trust and friendship in them so you can do well in your lab. There is nothing more worrisome than a lab partner who you can not get along with.
